Wisconsin walked out of Happy Valley with the biggest win of the Luke Fickell era, a 24-20 upset of Penn State, but Colton Joseph still left plenty for the head coach to chew on.
The Old Dominion transfer’s line told the story of a night that swung wildly in both directions: 18 completions on 35 attempts, 235 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Joseph had enough positive moments to help the Badgers finish the job, but the early mistakes were hard to ignore.
Fickell made that much clear afterward. “Unfortunately, it might just be a roller coaster with him.” he said. He also said he was proud of Joseph for rallying and continuing to fight, even if the rough opening stretch created real problems.
That pattern has become familiar. Joseph’s slow starts have shown up often enough to look like a trend, but the issue isn’t just ordinary early-game nerves. His mistakes have come more from badly missed throws and shaky reads against the defense, and those errors have led directly to turnovers.
One of the worst came on a screen pass that turned into a pick-six. Joseph appeared to miss the defensive back trailing the only route he had to read on the play, and the mistake cost Wisconsin points it could not afford to give away. As one post put it, “Imagine what this game would be if CoJo didn’t gift Penn State 14 points.”
That kind of start has also fed the noise around true freshman Ryan Hopkins, who has drawn calls from fans in the first quarter of games. Fickell has stuck with Joseph so far, and the source of that pressure was clear in camp, where Hopkins was seen as more than a standard freshman and a legitimate challenger for the job.
Still, Joseph kept playing, and Wisconsin got enough big moments from him late, along with strong work from his pass catchers, to escape with the win. A couple of those throws were high-level plays, including a ball that set up a strong sideline finish from Eugene Hilton Jr., who was identified in the source as T.Y. Hilton’s son.
For now, the trust remains with Joseph. But if the Badgers keep digging early holes, the margin for error will shrink fast.
Wisconsin’s defense has repeatedly kept the team afloat, yet the offense still hasn’t shown its full ceiling. If Joseph can build on the second half he delivered in Happy Valley, he can still work his way back into the fans’ good graces.
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Wisconsin Just Sent The AP Poll Debate Into Overdrive
Wisconsins upset of No. 13 Penn State did exactly what a statement win is supposed to do, but it still did not quite push the Badgers into the AP Top 25. They remain unranked in the latest poll, yet they landed 102 points and now sit at the top of the received votes list, which is about as close as a team can get without actually cracking the rankings.
The path back in is clear enough, even if it is not guaranteed. If Wisconsin takes care of Michigan State next and gets a little help elsewhere, next week could finally be the one where the Badgers break through. For now, the poll debate they sparked after beating Penn State is still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Suddenly Has A Chance To Prove Penn State Was No Fluke
Wisconsins upset at Penn State did more than grab attention around the Big Ten. The Badgers walked out of Beaver Stadium with a 24-20 win, their first there since 2003, and suddenly the conversation around the program changed from surprise to scrutiny. Beating a ranked opponent on the road is one thing, but backing it up is where a team starts to earn real credibility.
Now Wisconsin gets a chance to show that performance was no one-off as it heads into a matchup with Michigan State as a double-digit favorite. The line reflects how much stock the market is putting into the Penn State result, and it puts the Badgers in a spot where expectations are no longer about hanging around. For Wisconsin, the next game is less about the upset itself and more about proving it says something real about where this team stands. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Faces A New Kind Of Pressure After Its Penn State Stunner
Wisconsins comeback at Penn State gave Luke Fickell the kind of road win that can change the feel of a season. Down 17-0 and staring at a tough afternoon in a hostile building, the Badgers rallied to knock off the No. 13 team in the country, a result that stands as one of the clearest markers yet of progress in this era. Even so, the reward has been more about momentum than recognition, with Wisconsin still sitting outside the AP Top 25 as it turns its attention to the next Big Ten test.
Michigan State comes to Madison for the conference home opener carrying its own concerns, including an injury to key player Cam Edwards and a recent stretch of uneven play. For Wisconsin, the new pressure is obvious: after a statement win, there is less room to treat anything as a stepping stone. The Badgers now have to show that the Penn State rally was not just an emotional peak, but the start of something sturdier as the schedule keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]