UNIVERSITY PARK -- Penn State had this one in its hands late, then let it slip away.
The Lions were up 20-10 with eight minutes left after Tony Rojas came down with an interception, but Wisconsin ripped off the finish it needed and escaped Beaver Stadium with a 24-20 win in the Big Ten opener at West Shore Home Field.
Penn State’s defense gave the home crowd plenty to celebrate before the fourth quarter turned sour. True freshman Josiah Zayas picked off Colton Joseph and took it 51 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, and Daryus Dixson added another interception on Wisconsin’s next possession. That sequence helped the Lions surge to a 17-0 lead.
The Zayas score came with Penn State already ahead 3-0 early in the second quarter. He tracked Joseph’s throw perfectly, jumped the route and turned the play into a 55-yard touchdown return. A few snaps after Dixson’s interception, Penn State’s offense needed only three plays to punch in another score, finished by a Rocco Becht quarterback keeper.
Wisconsin didn’t go away, though. The Badgers answered with a scoring drive late in the first half to cut the deficit to 17-7 at the break, then stayed within striking distance through a third quarter that saw both teams add field goals. Barker connected from 37 yards, and Wisconsin’s Gavin Lahm answered with a 34-yarder.
The final quarter belonged to Wisconsin.
Becht had an uneven afternoon, finishing 12 of 29 for 129 yards. James Peoples led Penn State’s backs with 14 carries for 67 yards, while Chase Sowell paced the receivers with 6 catches for 70 yards in the first game without Koby Howard.
Joseph finished 18 of 38 for 235 yards and also ran for 39 yards on 13 carries.
Kim Herring served as the honorary captain, and Terry Smith was the honorary grand marshal.
Penn State is now 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the Big Ten and heads to Northwestern on Friday night for an 8 p.m. kickoff on Fox.
In Other News...
Penn State Fans Have One Annoying Week 4 Viewing Problem
Week 4 is shaping up as one of the busiest slates of the early college football season, with multiple ranked matchups spread across the day and five ranked-on-ranked games on the board. Three of those are tucked into the SEC, giving the weekend an especially crowded feel for fans trying to keep tabs on the national picture while also watching how the playoff race begins to sort itself out.
For Penn State fans, the annoying part is less about the quality of the games than the juggling act required to follow them all. The lineup includes No. 1 Texas against No. 14 Tennessee and No. 24 Mississippi State against No. 19 Missouri, along with streaming options that should keep viewers bouncing between platforms. Add in players like Kamario Taylor, who leads the nation in points responsible for, and it is the kind of Saturday that rewards patience as much as attention. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Gave Fans A Reason To Worry
Penn State had already done plenty to put itself in position to win its first Big Ten game of the season, forcing three interceptions and leaning on a defense that looked sharp through the first half. But the Nittany Lions could never turn those takeaways into enough separation, and the game slowly shifted as the offense sputtered and the pass rush failed to consistently bother Wisconsins quarterback.
The late collapse was the real concern, with Wisconsin finishing the comeback after Penn States defense faded in the fourth quarter. Without Koby Howard, the offense managed only 13 points and had trouble sustaining drives, leaving the Nittany Lions with a loss that raised an early warning sign about how much margin for error this team really has in conference play. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Delivered The Collapse Fans Feared Most
Penn State had this one where it wanted it, and then watched it slip away in a way that will sting for a while. The Nittany Lions built a lead as large as 17 points at home, looked in control for much of the afternoon, and still walked off with a 24-20 loss to Wisconsin in a result that changes the mood around the program fast.
Wisconsin made the comeback work despite a rough day from quarterback Colton Joseph, who threw three interceptions before settling in for the decisive stretch. He helped engineer two fourth-quarter touchdown drives, capped by a 72-yard strike to Jacob Harris, and now both teams sit at 3-1. Penn State turns next to Northwestern, while Wisconsin heads to Michigan State with momentum from a win that looked out of reach not long ago. [Read more 🡒]