Who stood out in Wisconsin’s loss to Penn State over the weekend?
The Wisconsin Badgers fell to the Penn State Nittany Lions in a Saturday night conference matchup, 28-13. What could’ve been a statement upset at home turned into another loss to a top-25 opponent for the Badgers.
Wisconsin was up 10-7 at halftime but then got outscored 21-3 in the second half. As No. 3 Penn State moves to 7-0, the Badgers fall to 5-3. More questions have begun to arise after the tough loss.
Winner: Hunter Wohler
Yes, Penn State’s quarterbacks combined for 246 passing yards, with Drew Allar and Beau Pribula combined to go 25-for-31. However, don’t blame the entire secondary for the performance.
Wohler proved to be the backbone of the defense, racking up 11 total tackles, seven solo tackles, and playing all-around good coverage. Nick Singleton caught a pass with Wohler draped all over him, but the play gives more credit to Singleton than taking away from Wohler.
For a defensive line that couldn’t apply any pressure to Penn State, Wohler and the secondary did a good job.
Loser: Defensive Line
Wisconsin’s defensive line did the rest of the defense no favors. They’ve struggled all season long, especially in the absence of senior lineman James Thompson Jr., but it’s disappointing that they failed to break the trend last night.
Allar and Pribula had all day to throw, and aside from a Jake Chaney sack, there was nothing to like, as the Nittany Lions controlled the line of scrimmage. Penn State rushed for 173 total yards and a touchdown along with the exceptional passing game, and it mainly falls on the inability to apply any pressure.
Loser: Offensive Line
On the other side of the ball, Wisconsin’s offensive line underperformed, especially for its standards. While quarterback Braedyn Locke underperformed, there was no room for the run game in the second half.
Wisconsin combined for just 81 rushing yards, with Tawee Walker, a standout in his time as a starter, going for just 59. Maybe it was fatigue, Penn State’s defense, or both.