Penn State-Wisconsin Takeaways: Lions overcome injuries to earn road victory
By Greg Pickel
MADISON, Wis. — It was not always pretty, and on the injury front, it was downright ugly. But Penn State will probably still consider its win 28-13 over Wisconsin a beautiful one, at least until it tallies up the cost in the coming days. Here are our top takeaways as the No. 3 Nittany Lions improved to 7-0.
What is the status of Drew Allar, Anthony Donkoh, and Dani Dennis-Sutton?
Penn State coach James Franklin didn’t have much to say about the status of starting quarterback Drew Allar, first-team offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh and starting defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton. Allar took a sack late in the first half, and it looked like Badgers defensive lineman Jake Cheney landed on the passer’s left leg.
Allar finished the next two plays but then went right to the sideline. Immediately, head Penn State trainer Andy Mutnan took him to the locker room. Allar led the team out of the tunnel after halftime but after a couple of warmup tosses while wearing a brace over his right knee that was not present in the first half, it became clear that he was going to be out and Beau Pribula would be in. Franklin said after the game that Allar would not have been mobile enough to operate the offense as designed.
Dennis-Sutton, meanwhile, suffered a lower-body injury late in the first half and quickly went to the injury tent. He was on the field for one play in the second half before leaving in clear pain. He never returned to the game.
Donkoh gave way to backup Nolan Rucci in the first half. Donkoh was on the sideline all game but never looked like he was coming back in. The second-year right tackle has dealt with injuries all season.
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Beau Pribula gets the job done
The second-year passer absolutely didn’t want his chance to shine to come this way, but he took full advantage of it. The York, Pa., native was 11 of 13 for 98 yards and a passing touchdown over the final 30 minutes. He fit the ball into tight windows, found open receivers, and was effective with his legs, finishing with 28 rushing yards. Despite being rushed into action, Pribula looked calm, cool and collected after his first two series and led the Lions impressively to victory.
More strong second half defense
How about these splits: Before garbage time, Penn State held Wisconsin to less than 100 yards on offense and just three points after surrendering 176 and 10 in the first half. It was another strong final 30-minute performance from Tom Allen’s group. Safety Jaylen Reed jump-started the comeback with a pick six that gave the Lions the lead for good in the third quarter. Fellow safety Zakee Wheatley was always around the ball and finished with eight tackles. After having none in the first half, the Lions finished with five tackles for loss, although the zero sacks will surely be picked at by some in the days ahead.
All told, this was always a game in which the defense was capable of ensuring a victory if the offense did enough. That certainly was the case.
Penn State-Wisconsin odds and ends
–It was another impressive day for Tyler Warren. The star tight end caught seven passes on eight targets for 46 yards and also was used as a short-yardage quarterback in the red zone. The shovel pass play was perfect, too.
–Hello, receivers room. The group combined for nine catches for 123 yards. And tight end Khalil Dinkins had a banner day, including a touchdown reception.
–The Lions special teams were awful on this night. They surrendered a first down on Wisconsin’s initial possession of the game when the punter took off and ran after a botched attempt at a block, and they were fortunate that a long kickoff return by the Badgers was called back on a questionable holding penalty. Placekicker Ryan Barker was good on four extra points, but otherwise, this was a night to forget for the specialists.
