Highs & Lows: Penn State pulls away from Wisconsin to stay perfect

By Nate Bauer

MADISON, Wis. – Penn State improved to 7-0 on the season with a 28-13 victory at Wisconsin on Saturday night. It took a gutsy performance by the Nittany Lion defense and backup quarterback Beau Pribula to deliver the win.

Here are the highs and lows from the game for Penn State.

Highs & Lows: Penn State rises up, buries Badgers to stay perfect

PLAYER OF THE GAME Penn State needed a dose of calm and confidence in the worst way coming out of the half. Starting quarterback Drew Allar had apparently gotten hurt in the final moments of the second quarter, and PSU needed backup Beau Pribula to provide a spark. 

He did. 

Though Pribula’s first few cracks at the football proved fruitless, he engineered a 13-play, 81-yard touchdown drive bridging the third and fourth quarters to give Penn State an 8-point cushion. He completed all five of his passes during the possession, including a key third-down connection and a touchdown. To top it off, he engineered a beautiful drive to milk the clock, converting a third down on a gutty 2-yard run to effectively ice the game. 

PLAY OF THE GAME Jaylen Reed looked like he’d been handed a Christmas present. Pinning Wisconsin deep in its territory midway through the third quarter, Penn State’s defense forced the Badgers into a third-and-15 situation. Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke threw a gift-wrapped pass into Reed’s chest, and the senior safety did the rest of the work, weaving through traffic 19 yards into the end zone to give his side a 14-10 lead. 

Offensive superlatives

BEST PASS Backpeddling on a second-and-goal play at the 6-yard line, Drew Allar found Nicholas Singleton with a hint of separation. Not so much separation that Singleton had an easy access to the catch, though. Lifting his right arm past two Wisconsin defenders, the Nittany Lion running back made a highlight reel, single-handed catch to give Penn State a 7-3 advantage in the early moments of the second quarter.

BEST RUN Whether anyone on the Wisconsin defense noticed Pribula step to his left, leaving Kaytron Allen in line for the direct snap, is certainly in question. But, when the Nittany Lion running back got going behind his blocks, there was effectively no resistance to his 24-yard touchdown to seal a 28-13 win. 

BEST CATCH Singleton’s impressive haul is a contender in this category, and the Badgers had a dazzling catch of their own. The rainbow pass deep down the sideline from Locke appeared to be beyond the reach of intended target C.J. Williams on the first-and-10 shot from midfield. Williams had other plans, laying out to give himself a chance, then turning to secure the ball while hitting the turf. The 33-yard gain put the Badgers into scoring territory, and they kicked a 32-yard field goal four plays later.

WORST DROP Wisconsin’s receivers had a rough evening at Camp Randall. Any could take this spot, but none were worse than Trech Kekahuna’s first-and-10 drop on a screen pass early in the second quarter.

Defense/special teams superlatives

BEST HIT Harrison Wallace was excited to have converted a critical third down in the red zone, picking up a first with his 9-yard catch early in the fourth quarter. The hit unloaded by Wisconsin’s Hunter Wohler took some of the shine off, though. Blasted after turning back to the field at the sideline, the Nittany Lion receiver helicoptered his way to the Camp Randall turf.  

BEST KICK Prolonging their first possession of the game with a successful fake punt, the Badgers ran out of luck when Penn State stopped a third-and-8 at the 33. Attempting a 50-yard field goal, though, Nathanial Vakos sent home his first try of the evening to give his side a 3-0 advantage.

Team superlatives

BEST EFFORT Penn State pushed through some less-than-ideal circumstances, trailing at end of the first half, and suffering multiple tough injuries to starters. Playing in front of a rowdy homecoming crowd at Camp Randall, the Lions had to show resilience, and they did just that.

BEST DECISION Two possessions generated just 39 yards on 10 plays from Penn State’s offense under the direction of Pribula in the third quarter. But, as the backup settled in, and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki grew more comfortable putting him in positions to succeed, the Nittany Lions flourished. Stringing together a 13-play, 81 yard touchdown drive, then following it with a nine-play, 76-yard touchdown drive, Penn State turned a dangerous situation into a comfortable win.

WORST DECISION Penn State had its stop. Standing up Wisconsin on three consecutive plays from the 2-yard line at the end of the first half, the Nittany Lions were about to get out of an uncharacteristic jam. If there hadn’t been 12 men on the field on third down, they would have. The penalty gave the Badgers a second shot from the 1-yard line, which they cashed in with a Tawee Walker touchdown to take a 10-7 lead going into the half.

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