Wisconsin 24, Penn State 20: New Year, Same Old Stuff

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Penn State got off to a hot start on homecoming weekend, but the Nittany Lions’ offense could never find a rhythm in a 24-20 loss to Wisconsin on Saturday.

Both teams exchanged punts on their first possession, but a solid punt return by Zay Robinson set up the offense in Wisconsin territory for its second possession. Penn State drove all the way down inside the Wisconsin five, but sloppy execution in the red zone forced a Ryan Barker field goal to give the Lions a 3-0 lead.

After another exchange of punts, Wisconsin started to move the ball a bit on the Penn State defense and faced a manageable third and two from the Penn State 46. Colton Joseph’s third down pass was intercepted by freshman cornerback Josiah Zayas, who returned it 51 yards to the house for Penn State’s first defensive touchdown of the season and a 10-0 lead:

On Wisconsin’s ensuing possession, a false start, short rush, and incomplete passed forced the Badgers into a passing situation on third down. Colton Joseph overthrew his target, and Daryus Dixon reeled in his first interception of the season to set up the offense in the red zone:

Rocco Becht took advantage of Wisconsin’s second turnover when he rushed into the end zone on the quarterback draw to extend the lead to 17-0:

Wisconsin marched down the field late in the half on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that finished in a Colton Joseph seven-yard touchdown run. Penn State had over a minute and all three timeouts to mount a drive, but the Nittany Lions chose to run out the half and take a 17-7 lead to the locker room.

After the defense came up with a stop on Wisconsin’s first drive, Rocco Becht’s first pass of the ensuing drive was deflected at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Charles Perkins. The defense held the Badgers to a field goal, but it was suddenly just a 17-10 lead for Penn State early in the third quarter.

Penn State converted three third downs on its next drive, including a tough catch by Chase Sowell on a third and seven and a 19-yard run by Becht on a third and nine with Wisconsin blitzing heavily. The Nittany Lions moved into scoring position but had to settle for a 37-yard Ryan Barker field goal.

The pace of the game slowed significantly after Penn State’s field goal drive. Tony Rojas picked off Colton Joseph near midfield midway through the fourth quarter, but the offense went three-and-out for a third straight possession.

Wisconsin marched down the field on a 10-play, 75 yard drive, as the Badgers found creases in the running game with Darrion Dupree and finished off the drive with a nice touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone by Eugene Hilton. Penn State’s lead was just 20-17 with 3:31 left.

The offense desperately needed to salt the game away with a couple of first downs, but they went three-and-out for the fourth straight possession. Rocco Becht nearly threw a pick six on third down, but Cooper Catalano dropped the ball.

Penalties hampered the Badgers on the do-or-die drive, but a busted coverage in the secondary left Jacob Harris wide open over the middle for a go-ahead 72-yard touchdown pass. Penn State’s offense drove into Wisconsin territory in the final seconds, but Becht’s Hail Mary sailed out of the back of the end zone, and the Badgers defeated Penn State in Beaver Stadium for the first time since 2003.

Penn State will play Northwestern on the road on Friday night. Kickoff is at 8pm on FOX.

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