What We Learned From Penn State’s Win at Wisconsin

Penn State’s visit to Wisconsin took on an unexpected plot twist Saturday night, as quarterback Drew Allar exited the game with an injury and did not play in the second half. Rallying around Beau Pribula and a strong defensive effort, the Nittany Lions took care of Wisconsin in a 28-13 road win, setting up a Nov. 2 showdown with Ohio State at Beaver Stadium. 

The Nittany Lions moved to 7-0 for the third time under head coach James Franklin and first since 2019. Here are the top takeaways from Penn State’s sixth straight win over Wisconsin.

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Beau Pribula is more than a changeup quarterback

Allar stood on the Penn State sideline with a brace on his knee and a towel draped over his head in the second half. The junior was having a productive day, going 14-of-16 for 148 yards and a touchdown before getting sacked late in the second quarter. After two incompletions, Allar left early for the locker room, and Pribula started the second half for the Nittany Lions.

It was a little shaky at first, as the offense punted on its first two drives of the second half, but Pribula settled in and made some key plays. It started with a monster 13-play, 81-yard drive to take the lead early in the fourth quarter. On the next possession, Pribula again marched Penn State downfield. He threw an impressive 23-yard pass to Liam Clifford while taking a hit and also ran for a key third-down conversion.

Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki tailored his play-calling to Pribula’s strengths, working the read option and then building play-action passes off it. Pribula tallied 28 yards on six carries while completing 11 of 13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. 

“They did a really good job with him in the second half and caused us some issues,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “As much as they make you prepare for so many things, when he actually goes in the game, it becomes a little bit of a different game that caused us some issues. You give them credit for having a plan for when he is in there, and I don’t think we did a good enough job at making sure we understood what he was going to do. He also threw the football pretty darn well, too. He made some plays in the second half that were really, really big.”

If Allar misses significant time due to injury, it would be a huge blow to Penn State’s championship hopes. But at least on Saturday, Pribula did enough to keep the Nittany Lions undefeated. 

Jaylen Reed is Penn State’s defensive game-changer

Down 10-7 with Allar knocked out of the game and the offense struggling, the Nittany Lions needed a spark. Enter safety Jaylen Reed, who undercut a third-quarter pass by Wisconsin’s Braedyn Locke and took it to the house for a 19-yard pick-6. The interception gave Penn State a 14-10 lead that it would never relinquish. And it marked the second consecutive game in which Reed delivered a huge turnover.

Reed intercepted USC quarterback Miller Moss late in the fourth quarter, preserving a tie and sending the game to overtime. The interception at Wisconsin pivoted the game quickly in Penn State’s favor.

“Momentum is a real thing,” Franklin said. “I think that was a big play in the game to swing the momentum. From that point on, we were really able to take control of the game specifically on offense and defense.

Reed finished with five tackles, helping lead a Penn State defense that gave up just one touchdown and three second-half points. The Badgers put together several solid drives but were forced to settle for a pair of field goals while the Nittany Lions capitalized with touchdowns. 

Additionally, the Badgers’ ground attack never took off, as Penn State held running back Tawee Walker to just 59 yards on 22 carries. Locke had a few successful moments passing (22-for-42, 217 yards) but didn’t string together enough plays for Wisconsin to make a comeback. 

Penn State was resilient in the face of mounting injuries

Two other Penn State starters left the game to injury on Saturday, as defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and right tackle Anthony Donkoh were sidelined. Dennis-Sutton re-entered the game at the start of the second half for only one play before exiting for the remainder of the game. 

Wisconsin transfer Nolan Rucci stepped in for Donkoh and performed well, helping pave the way for back-to-back touchdown drives in the second half. The offense ran the ball for 173 total yards, while holding Wisconsin’s pass rush to only one sack. 

In Dennis-Sutton’s absence, Penn State flashed its defensive line depth with Amin Vanover, Smith Vilbert, Coziah Izzard and Alonzo Ford Jr. all stepping up along the fronr four. As with Allar, there’s no word at this point about Dennis-Sutton and Donkoh’s availability for next week against Ohio State.

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Sam Woloson has covered Penn State Athletics for the past three years and is currently the managing editor of The Daily Collegian. His work has also appeared in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Huntingdon Daily News and Rivals. Follow him on X @sam_woloson