That’s why you play the game. And that’s why Vegas odds and stat sheets don’t determine a winner before the 60 minutes are up and the clock reads 00:00. For Penn State, a team looking to finish the season on a high note, and to finish the season with a winning record for the second straight season under NCAA sanctions, there wasn’t much more fans or players could have asked for on Saturday. A 31-24 upset victory over No. 14 Wisconsin sent the Nittany Lion seniors out with a win and ended a roller coaster season on a positive note for the entire program.
Even wins aren’t always pretty but the Nittany Lions did just enough to upend the Badgers.
Offense: B+
Christian Hackenberg had what might have been his best game as a Nittany Lion on Saturday. He went 21-of-30 for 339 yards and 4 touchdowns and was in complete control of the offense the entire game. Penn State struggled to get the ground game going. Zach Zwinak accumulated 115 yards on the ground but 61 of those came late in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions only converted 5 of 13 third down attempts as well. But at the end of the day Penn State made enough plays to pull out the victory and Hackenberg’s superb play is worth a boost to the final grade.
Defense: A-
John Butlers’ defense hasn’t been perfect, and wasn’t perfect on Saturday, but deflected passes, a disruptive pass rush, and three interceptions helped give Penn State a chance to pull off the upset. True freshman linebacker Brandon Bell was impressive with six tackles and Anthony Zettel picked up two of Penn State’s three sacks on the night. Penn State’s secondary gave up a few chunk plays that kept Wisconsin in the game. Overall though, Penn State made big plays at the right time to keep the offense’s hard earned momentum headed in the right direction. The Nittany Lions made more plays when they needed them than not, and that’s all that really matters when you’re trying to upset the No. 14 team in the nation.
Special Teams: C
The second half of the season hasn’t been kind to Penn State’s special teams and a blocked punt and two missed field goals didn’t help matters. Those misfires didn’t cost Penn State the game, but a Ficken field goal miss from 31-yards out would heave sealed the deal. Wisconsin never had a return longer than 19-yards which is a positive that the unit can hang its hat on moving forward. If there is one area that needs to be addressed this offseason, it’s special teams.
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