After a much-needed bye week following their overtime win at USC, the and No. 3-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0, 3-0) head to Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1) for a key Big Ten football showdown. It will be Penn State’s last Big Ten game before the all-important meeting with No. 4 Ohio State. Let’s dive into this matchup.
Penn State vs. Wisconsin football history
Saturday marks the 21st all-time meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Bagders. Penn State is 11-9 in this series. The two teams last met in 2021, with Penn State coming away with a 16-10 victory. Penn State has won five straight football games against Wisconsin, including the 2016 Big Ten Championship Game. Wisconsin’s last win in this series came back in 2011.
Key players for Penn State
Quarterback Drew Allar is still completing over 70 percent of his passes while sporting an 11-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. That said, Allar is coming off throwing three interceptions against USC as Penn State had to rally in the second half to force overtime and eventually win. However, he still went 30-of-43 for 391 yards in the 33-30 victory.
What a day for tight end Tyler Warren against USC. Warren tied an FBS record with 17 catches, totaling 224 yards. That included a trick-play touchdown where he snapped the ball as an eligible receiver.
Penn State TE Tyler Warren’s final line against USC:
17 catches (tied for the most ever by an FBS TE)
224 yards
This insane TD 👇pic.twitter.com/oA0gBOVW6E— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 12, 2024
Four Penn State receivers have over 200 yards on the year but Warren is the only one with over 300 – and he’s over 500 (513).
Shoutout to kicker Ryan Barker after his 4-for-4 day, including the game-winner, against USC. Since taking over the main kicking duties, Barker is 6-for-6 in the last two games and is a perfect 8-for-8 on extra points.
Key players for Wisconsin
Since taking over for the injured Tyler Van Dyke, Braedyn Locke is completing about 60 percent of his passes (80-for-135) for 1,064 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He has one 300-yard game this season (359 vs. Purdue) and two starts with under 200 yards. Lock replaced Van Dyke in the Alabama game.
Tawee Walker is the main rusher for the Badgers. He has 104 attempts for 565 yards and nine touchdowns. He also has half of the team’s total rushing touchdowns of 18. Cade Yacamelli and Chez Mellusi also have over 200 rushing yards.
In the passing game, the Badgers do a nice job of spreading the ball around. Two receivers, Vinny Anthony II and Will Pauling, have over 300 yards while a third, Trech Kekahuna, has over 200. They each have two receiving touchdowns, accounting for six of the team’s eight total.
Keys to victory for Penn State
Continue pounding the football on the ground
Wisconsin has been a strong defense in recent weeks. However, they still come into this week ranked 61st against the run. With two backs totaling about 900 rushing yards through six games, Penn State would do well to surround their gameplan around Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
Don’t get caught looking ahead
Ohio State looms on the horizon. They come to Happy Valley on November 2. This is not the time to look ahead, because Camp Randall is still one of the hardest places to play at in college football. The Buckeyes are the team to beat on Penn State’s schedule. Penn State does not play Oregon in the regular season, but a loss to Wisconsin would hurt Penn State’s seeding; and perhaps their chances of at least hosting a first-round game in the playoffs.
