Penn State walked into its Big Ten opener with control of the game and left Beaver Stadium with a 24-20 loss that nobody in University Park saw coming. The Nittany Lions had a 17-point cushion, then watched Wisconsin rip it away with a furious finish that turned homecoming into a gut punch.
The last four minutes told the whole story. Penn State led 20-10 with under four minutes to play, but the offense went nowhere when it needed to drain the clock, and the defense couldn’t land the final blows. Wisconsin answered with 14 points in the closing stretch, and the Badgers’ 72-yard touchdown strike put them in front with just over a minute left.
For Penn State, the most obvious problem is still the offense. The Nittany Lions were already uneven in nonconference play, and this was the clearest sign yet that the group still doesn’t know exactly what it wants to be.
Wide receiver Koby Howard was out for the first time all season, but his absence wasn’t the biggest issue. The running game again failed to provide steady production, aside from a few modest gains.
Quarterback Rocco Becht also had a mixed day that swung the wrong way late. He flashed the Iowa State version of himself more than the one Penn State had seen over the first three weeks, delivering some excellent throws and then missing badly on others when receivers were open.
The offense had a chance to seize control in the final 3:30 and instead went three-and-out in less than a minute, setting up Wisconsin’s winning drive. Becht got one last shot on a Hail Mary, but he overthrew it and sent it out of the end zone.
The defense did plenty early and still wasn’t enough. Penn State forced three interceptions and seven QB hurries, and for most of the afternoon it kept Wisconsin in check.
But once the game tightened up and the offense stopped helping, the defense couldn’t finish the job. It gave up 14 of Wisconsin’s 24 points in the final four minutes, including a 10-play, 75-yard march and the quick six-play, 85-yard drive that ended with the long touchdown.
Maybe the group was worn down by the end. But that excuse won’t matter much if this becomes a pattern. The defense can be very good - maybe even bordering on elite - but Saturday showed it can’t carry everything by itself.
The loss also changes the picture for Penn State’s playoff path. A day earlier, with homecoming on the horizon and a soft schedule in front of it, a 10-win season looked within reach, and a College Football Playoff push seemed realistic. The biggest hurdles still come in two weeks against USC and three weeks against Michigan.
That path is still there, but it’s much narrower now. Penn State was supposed to handle Wisconsin and move on with a comfortable win.
Instead, it now has to regroup after a result that makes everything harder. A 9-3 finish likely won’t be enough, which means the Nittany Lions probably need to beat either USC or Michigan - and still take care of the rest of the schedule.
That includes Northwestern next, and the Wildcats recently threatened Indiana with an upset.
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 Already Has A Big Problem After Its Big Ten Opener
Penn States Big Ten opener at Beaver Stadium looked headed in the right direction late in the fourth quarter, with the Nittany Lions carrying a 20-10 lead and the defense producing takeaways to keep Wisconsin at arms length. True freshman Josiah Zayas and Daryus Dixson each came up with interceptions, and Zayas turned his into a touchdown, giving Penn State a jolt in front of the home crowd.
Instead, the game slipped away in the closing minutes, leaving Penn State with a 24-20 loss and an immediate sense that there is work to do on both sides of the ball. Rocco Becht finished 12 of 29 for 129 yards, and the Nittany Lions now have a short turnaround before facing Northwestern, where they will be trying to steady themselves after letting a winnable conference opener get away. [Read more 🡒]