UNIVERSITY PARK — The Penn State Nittany Lion football team left Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, Oct. 26, with what Penn State head coach James Franklin said was a “gutsy culture” 28-10 victory over the very fired up Wisconsin Badgers.
It was win No. 7 for the Lions without a loss, but it was anything but easy and it had its costs.
“Just a gutsy win, on the road against a team that’s really trending in a positive direction, and in a tough environment to play in,” Franklin said. “You lose your starting quarterback, you lose your starting defensive end, you lose your starting offensive tackle, next man up. No excuses.”
The players Franklin referred to as being lost were quarterback Drew Allar, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh.
Star DE Dennis-Sutton left the game just before halftime and did not return, and then a few minutes later, Allar was sacked, apparently injuring his leg, and he did not return.
Donkoh also left the game in the first half, replaced by former Badger Nolan Rucci, and Donkoh did not play in the second half either.
Nevertheless, Penn State again came from behind, and, sparked by a Jaylen Reed pick-6, outscored Wisconsin 21-6 in the second half to remain undefeated in 2024.
Beau Pribula replaced Allar and led the team on two crucial, fourth quarter touchdown drives.
The first ended with a 1-yard pass to Khalil Dinkins that put the Lions ahead 20-13 with 10 minutes to play.
The second one on a 24-yard touchdown sprint around left end by Kaytron Allen with 3:10 on the clock, essentially closing the door on the Badgers.
Pribula completed 11-of-13 passes for 98 yards and the touchdown to Dinkins, while Allar was 14-of-18 for 148 yards and a beautiful touchdown pass to Nicholas Singleton.
Pribula also ran six times for 28 yards, and Allen and Singleton combined for 135 of Penn State’s 173 ground yards.
Just as important was the Penn State defense that held Wisconsin to just 81 yards rushing and 217 passing and only three points in the second half.
Defense took control of the line of scrimmage and gave the Badgers almost nothing in the fourth quarter while the Lions pulled away for the victory.
And Reed’s interception and return, which put Penn State ahead for good, proved to be the turning point in the game.
“The other thing that stood out to me,” Franklin noted, “was an unselfish team and unselfish players. Beau Pribula in a quarterback battle waiting for his number to be called and when it was, he was able to capitalize and take advantage of it. And obviously the Jaylen Reed interception was a game-changing play. Just proud of our guys.”
The Wisconsin win will lead up to what will be hyped as one of the biggest games in college football so far in 2024.
It will match No. 3 Penn State against No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 2, in Beaver Stadium, and it will be a premier pairing of two of the top five teams in the country.
Penn State fans of course need no introduction to the Buckeyes. OSU has won the last seven meetings between the two teams and nine of the last 10.
Last year in Columbus, Ohio State scored on an 18-yard pass play with four minutes to play in the game to take a 20-6 lead over the Lions.
Penn State responded with an Allar pass to Kaden Saunders to pull to within 20-12, but the score was too late and OSU ran out the clock.
Penn State did have a defensive touchdown early in the game called back which could have changed the complexion of things, but OSU still outgained the Lions by over 100 yards and Penn State gained just 49 yards rushing on the day.
This year the Buckeyes come into Beaver Stadium with a 6-1 record after an Saturday, Oct. 12, conference loss at Oregon, 32-31.
Last week, OSU had a tough time against Nebraska at home, but still pulled out a 21-17 victory.
The Buckeyes are led by senior quarterback Will Howard, 6-foot-4, 235 lbs. from Downingtown, who has completed 134-of-181 passes for 1,795 yards and 17 touchdowns. Howard has also run 41 times for 91 yards and five more touchdowns.
Running back Quinshon Judkins has 81 carries for 520 yards with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith hauling in 35 catches for 623 yards and 8 touchdowns.
In all, OSU has 1,987 passing yards for the season and 19 touchdowns and 1316 rushing yards with 18 touchdowns. OSU averages 40.3 points per game.
Penn State is gaining 464 yards per game — 197 on the ground — and scoring 33.5 points.
This game, as it is almost every year, will be a pivotal contest for both teams.
Ohio State has one loss and can’t afford another one with undefeated Indiana and Michigan still to come on its schedule.
At the same time, Penn State is a game ahead of the Buckeyes, but it is also facing a seven-game losing streak to OSU and the possibility of having to adjust to players being unavailable for the game because of injury.
Being at home with what will likely be a near record crowd will help Penn State, but the Lions defense will again be put to a severe test.
And the “other” things–fumbles, interceptions, sacks, penalties, mistakes, injuries–will likely have a role in the outcome as well.
This is a major opportunity for Penn State, and Lion fans everywhere would love nothing better than for them to take advantage of it.
Kickoff is at noon at Beaver Stadium.
