UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s offense had to grind for nearly everything it got Saturday with 206 yards of total offense, but its defense failed to close the game when it needed it most..
Back-to-back interceptions by Josiah Zayas and Daryus Dixson helped Penn State turn a three-point lead into a 17-point advantage in the first half, but Wisconsin erased in the second half outgaining Penn State 231-122 to defeat Penn State 24-20.
After Wisconsin started deep in its own territory and was forced to punt on its opening possession, Penn State began its second drive in Badgers territory and capitalized on the favorable field position.
Quarterback Rocco Becht connected with tight end Benjamin Brahmer for a 17-yard reception that moved the Nittany Lions to the Wisconsin 8-yard line.
The Badgers defense stiffened from there, turning Penn State away multiple times near the goal line. The Nittany Lions settled for a 22-yard Ryan Barker field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
Late in the first quarter, after Wisconsin pinned Penn State deep in its own territory, running back James Peoples provided a spark. Peoples rushed for 25 yards on four carries and helped the Nittany Lions pick up two key first downs.
Penn State struggled to establish its passing game early, with Becht finishing the first quarter 4-of-9 for 42 yards.
Wisconsin opened the second quarter with a 13-yard completion from quarterback Colton Joseph to wide receiver Eugene Hilton, the son of former NFL receiver T.Y. Hilton, giving the Badgers some early momentum.
Penn State took it away almost immediately.
Freshman cornerback Josiah Zayas jumped Joseph’s pass and returned the interception 50 yards for a touchdown, extending Penn State’s lead to 10-0.
Joseph didn’t have much time to recover.
Three plays later, cornerback Daryus Dixson intercepted Joseph and returned the ball deep into Wisconsin territory, giving Penn State another short field.
The Nittany Lions needed only three plays to capitalize. Becht kept the ball on a quarterback draw and scored from 3 yards out for his first rushing touchdown as a Nittany Lion, pushing Penn State’s advantage to 17-0.
Wisconsin finally began building some offensive momentum late in the first half behind former Iowa State running back Abu Sama, who picked up a pair of key first downs.
The Badgers appeared in danger of stalling near the two-minute timeout, but converted a critical fourth-and-one to keep the drive alive.
Joseph then found tight end Jacob Harris for a 22-yard reception that moved Wisconsin inside the Penn State 10-yard line. Joseph finished the drive himself, scoring on a 7-yard quarterback keeper to cut Penn State’s lead to 17-7 before halftime.
The Nittany Lions entered the break looking to improve to 60-1 in their last 61 games when leading at halftime.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Wisconsin carried some of its late first-half momentum into the third quarter, with Joseph finding open receivers and moving the Badgers toward midfield before the Penn State defense eventually forced a stop.
But on Penn State’s first offensive play of the second half, Becht’s pass was deflected and intercepted by defensive lineman Charles Perkins.
Despite taking over with a short field, Wisconsin couldn’t fully capitalize. Penn State’s defense held the Badgers to a 26-yard Gavin Lahm field goal, cutting the lead to 17-10.
With Penn State continuing to struggle to consistently move the ball, Becht connected with wide receiver Chase Sowell for a key 15-yard completion on third down.
On a drive where every yard had to be earned, Becht delivered one of Penn State’s biggest plays of the second half. Facing third-and-nine near midfield, he called his own number and scrambled for 19 yards to extend the drive.
Penn State eventually stalled just outside the Wisconsin red zone, but Barker connected on a 37-yard field goal to restore the Nittany Lions’ 10-point advantage at 20-10.
Late in the fourth quarter, Wisconsin was attempting to rally but Joesph’s pass overshot the intended receiver and into the hands of linebacker Tony Rojas. For Joseph it was his third interception on the day.
If Penn State thought the game was over, Wisconsin reminded them it wasn’t.
As Penn State couldn’t capitalize on their third Wisconsin turnover, Wisconsin took that momentum and ran behind running back Darrion Dupree who had 36 rushing yards that allowed Joseph to find Hilton Jr. to close the deficit to three points with three and half minutes to go in the game.
The Nittany Lions offense had an opportunity to close the game out but went three and out giving Wisconsin an opportunity.
Wisconsin continued to feed on momentum as Joseph found Dupree for a key 25-yard completion ahead of the two-minute warning.
Following the two-minute warning, the defense had bottled up the Badgers offense until Joseph found tight end Harris unguarded and alone for a 72-yard game winning touchdown for Wisconsin.
The Nittany Lions were able to attempt one last gasp reaching the Wisconsin 33-yard line
Wisconsin’s last ranked road win came in 2015 against Nebraska.
The loss snaps a six game winning streak the Nittany Lions had against the Badgers. The last win by Wisconsin was in 2011.
No. 13 Penn State falls to 3-1 and will hit the road next to open new Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois as Penn State visits Northwestern on Friday night.
