Penn State’s first Big Ten test arrives Saturday night, and the No. 13 Nittany Lions are bringing a defense that has barely blinked through three games. Wisconsin comes in with a split personality: one ugly road loss, two comfortable home wins, and now a trip into a tougher setting against a team that has already handled everything in front of it.
The Nittany Lions are 3-0, and while the schedule hasn’t forced them into deep water yet, they’ve taken care of business in a hurry. They covered as -23.5 and -39.5 favorites, with a 27-9 win at Temple sandwiched between those two blowouts. Last week against Buffalo, Penn State turned a close game early into a runaway, scoring 17 points in each of the first two quarters and adding 21 more after halftime in a 55-13 win that cashed the huge -39.5 number.
Wisconsin’s season opened in a very different way. The Badgers were blasted by Notre Dame in Week 1, failing to cover as +21.5 underdogs, then steadied themselves with back-to-back home wins over Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan. Last week’s 54-10 victory made them look the part of a team rolling at home, but the road result from the opener still hangs over this matchup.
That’s especially true because Wisconsin was a mess away from home last season. In five losses, the Badgers managed only 45 total points. One of those came in a 17-7 defeat at Minnesota, where they were -2.5 favorites to finish the year.
Penn State also owns the recent history in this series. The Nittany Lions have won the last six meetings with Wisconsin, including a 28-13 road win two years ago.
The quarterback to watch here is Rocco Becht, who is off to a strong senior season after spending his first four college years at Iowa State before joining Penn State for his final campaign. Through three games with the Nittany Lions, he has completed 45 of 64 passes for 751 yards and nine touchdowns without an interception. He has been sacked once in each game, and this will be his first Big Ten matchup in Penn State colors.
For Wisconsin, the challenge is obvious: the Badgers need to show they can carry the kind of home form they flashed against inferior opponents onto the road, and that has not been their strength. Penn State, meanwhile, has allowed just 22 points across its first three games and looks built to keep the pressure on for four quarters.
I don’t see Penn State letting up against a Wisconsin team that lost by 28 as +21.5 underdogs. The Lions have also allowed just 22 points in three games, so it could be a long evening for the Badgers.
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