Penn State football won a game at Wisconsin that it would not have last year or the one before that.
Certainly, it wouldn’t have won this kind of game three years ago when it was similarly undefeated and ranked in the top five. Back then, at Iowa, it lost its starting quarterback halfway through and gradually collapsed not only for the day but for the rest of the season.
Because the Nittany Lions, if anything, keep proving they can win in different ways, in varying circumstances and with different players leading them.
They won Saturday night with a backup quarterback. They won while missing one of their top defenders and a starting offensive lineman
They won without anyone gaining more than 86 yards rushing and 67 yards receiving. And they did it, on the road, against an opponent coming off three straight dominating victories of its own.
Penn State won with a collective effort, a gradual stranglehold from their defense and a numbing mix of short passes and runs on offense.
They won because a team leader − safety Jaylen Reed − returned an interception for a touchdown to change the complexion of the night when they needed it most.
Penn State football: How Beau Pribula won the night and more
They won because a backup quarterback − Central York grad Beau Pribula − proved that he really is much more than a change-of-pace runner.
Pribulas was, perhaps, the biggest revelation. Sure, he led a victory at home last November against Rutgers. But this was much different. This was a prime-time stage, on the road, with his team’s undefeated record on the line.
