The Badgers had a rough Saturday evening, as they struggled to put things together in the second half.
The Wisconsin Badgers dropped a tough 28-13 game to the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday, falling to 5-3 on the season and 3-2 in conference play.
It was one of Wisconsin’s biggest tests in the secondary, as the Nittany Lions came into the game with hype as the No. 3 team in the nation. Wisconsin had faced top-15 teams before, but they weren’t that competitive in those outings, losing to Alabama by 32 and USC by 17.
However, Penn State struggled early due to a tough Wisconsin defense, leading to a tough fight throughout the game before the Nittany Lions ultimately pulled away in the second half.
Here’s the recap of Wisconsin’s 28-13 loss to Penn State in Week 9.
1st Half
The Badgers started the game off strong after starting with the ball, overcoming an early 3rd & 15 with a major third-down conversion that ultimately led to a field goal drive, giving Wisconsin a quick 3-0 lead.
Penn State drove on their first drive as well, but the Badgers bend-don’t-break defensive effort forced a turnover on downs on 4th & 1, as the defense forced a “fumble “on quarterback Drew Allar to stop the Nittany Lions from scoring on their opening possession.
Wisconsin had their opportunities on the second drive, but a killer drop from Will Pauling took away their chances of moving the ball downfield, essentially killing the drive on a 2nd & 9 incompletion.
Penn State took advantage from there, putting together a nine-play, 90-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a Nick Singleton touchdown catch working 1-on-1 against safety Hunter Wohler to give the Nittany Lions a 7-3 lead.
The Badgers began to drive yet again on their next drive, but a Trech Kekahuna drop on 1st & 10 hurt Wisconsin in a major way, leading them to punt on a 4th & 2 at their own 47-yard line.
Drops were the story of the half for the Badgers, as Will Pauling dropped his second pass on the ensuing drive, and Wisconsin couldn’t move from there, leading to yet another punt for the home team.
Wisconsin was able to settle down and accomplish a 10-play, 73-yard scoring drive that ended in a rushing touchdown to give the Badgers a multi-score lead, thanks to senior back Tawee Walker.
That gave Wisconsin a 10-7 lead heading into halftime, and the Badgers seemed to have all the momentum, as Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar suffered a knee injury and was clearly laboring entering the half.
2nd Half
Penn State started the second half with the ball, but that came with redshirt sophomore Beau Pribula under center, rather than Drew Allar, presenting a major change for the Nittany Lions.
Things seemed to be even on both sides of the battle during the back-and-forth exchanges during the season, but everything changed as the second half came along as Braedyn Locke was intercepted deep in Wisconsin’s own end zone, giving up a pick-six at Wisconsin’s own eight-yard line.
Well, after that, the Badgers looked to right the wrong, but were forced to settle for another field goal due to a pass well short of the sticks on 3rd & 11 on their next drive. That kept the lead with Penn State at 14-13 at a crucial point in the game.
Having the lead, the Nittany Lions started to get into a groove with multiple first downs, driving down the field deep into Wisconsin’s territory. Short passes were the key for Pribula as Penn State slowly got into touchdown range, capping off their drive with a 1-yard score from tight end Khalil Dinkins, with champion Leon Edwards there in action.
Facing a crucial drive down 21-13 with the clock winding in the fourth quarter, Wisconsin ended up going three-and-out again, leading to a fairly favorable situation for the Nittany Lions as their defense held up well enough.
Penn State delivered the dagger from there, pushing the ball downfield with their ground attack to eventually score a touchdown and go up with a two-score lead that put the game away at 28-13, as running back Kaytron Allen delivered the final blow.
With the loss, Wisconsin drops to 5-3 on the season and faces another tough conference opponent next week with the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road, as the Oregon Ducks come to town after that following a bye week.
It was a winnable game for the Badgers, but they simply couldn’t bridge the gap, leading to their opponent pulling away enough in the second half in a disappointing loss.
As a result, the Badgers ultimately lost 28-13 to Penn State in another loss to a top-15 team, which will be something to monitor as the season continues to come along.