Wisconsin’s trip to Penn State last week turned into a statement win, and now the Badgers get a chance to see if they can carry that momentum back home.
The Badgers will host Michigan State on Saturday in Madison, Wis., coming off their biggest comeback victory in 20 years. Wisconsin erased a 17-0 deficit on the road and beat Penn State 24-20 for its third straight win, improving to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play.
That comeback came with plenty of turbulence. Colton Joseph threw a pair of second-quarter interceptions, one of them a pick-6, and put Wisconsin in an early bind.
But he finished the job, connecting with Jacob Harris on a 72-yard touchdown pass with 1:13 remaining to deliver the win. It was Wisconsin’s first road victory since Oct. 19, 2024, and its first win at Penn State since 2003.
"We know darn well that there's some things we've got to do a hell of a lot better, but there's no better way to learn and grow than through a win like that," Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said Monday. "The reminder to us will continue to be we can't be arrogant and we can't be delusional."
Joseph completed 18 of 38 passes in the game, finishing with two touchdowns and three interceptions. For the season, the senior transfer from Old Dominion has gone 72 of 123 for 987 yards, seven touchdowns and five picks. Wisconsin also produced 120 rushing yards against Penn State, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.
Abu Sama III remains the Badgers’ top runner with 190 yards, though injuries have kept him out of most of the last two games.
Michigan State arrives at 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference after a 31-13 home loss to Nebraska. The Spartans turned it over three times, were outgained 369-257 and managed only 39 rushing yards at 1.2 yards per carry.
With Cam Edwards out for the season because of a knee injury, Iowa transfer Jaziun Patterson and Western Kentucky transfer Marvis Parrish are expected to handle the backfield workload.
Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic has given Michigan State some production through the air, throwing for 748 yards while completing 65 of 97 passes for a 67.0% rate. He has three touchdown passes and three interceptions.
Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald, who spent 17 years at Northwestern, said he was impressed by what Wisconsin did at Penn State.
"Really impressive to watch that tape," Fitzgerald said Monday. "Being down 10 with under four minutes left, just really impressed how they were able to stick together and find a way to win in a really hostile environment."
Michigan State holds a 31-24 edge in the all-time series, though the teams have split their last 10 meetings. The Spartans won the most recent matchup 34-28 in two overtimes at home in 2022.
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