Luke Fickell walked out of Beaver Stadium with the kind of victory that can change the mood around a program in a hurry.
Wisconsin stunned No. 13 Penn State 24-20 on Saturday, rallying from a 17-point hole to grab its biggest win of the Fickell era.
The Badgers moved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play, while Penn State fell to 3-1 and 0-1. It was Wisconsin’s first road win in nearly two years and its first at Beaver Stadium since 2003.
The Badgers had looked flat early, punting on their first two possessions and trailing 3-0 after one quarter. Then the second quarter turned ugly in a hurry. Colton Joseph threw two interceptions, one returned for a pick-six and another that put Penn State deep in Wisconsin territory, and suddenly the Badgers were staring at a 17-0 deficit.
But Wisconsin didn’t fold.
With the Badgers set to get the ball first in the second half, Joseph gave them a lifeline just before halftime. He scored on an option play with 1:18 left in the half, cutting the margin to 17-7 and giving Wisconsin something to build on after a rough opening 30 minutes.
The third quarter didn’t offer much in the way of offense. Each team added a field goal, and Wisconsin’s total output in the period was just 18 yards. By the end of the quarter, Penn State still held a 20-10 lead, and the Badgers still had work to do.
That work started with the defense. Wisconsin opened the fourth quarter by forcing a punt, then allowed only four yards on the next two Penn State drives combined. That kept the deficit at 10 and handed the offense another shot with seven minutes left.
Darrion Dupree helped spark the next push, leading a drive that set Wisconsin up for a long third down at the Penn State 11. Joseph responded with one of the biggest throws of the night, dropping a pass from the right hash to the back left pylon where Eugene Hilton Jr. made an over-the-shoulder touchdown catch to trim the lead to three.
Penn State then went three-and-out for the fourth straight time, and Wisconsin got the ball back with a chance to win it with a touchdown and just over two minutes remaining. Two penalties early in the drive left the Badgers facing 19 yards to go on second down, but Joseph found Dupree on a checkdown for 25 yards and a fresh set of downs.
A few plays later, on third-and-13, Joseph hit Jacob Harris over the middle. Harris took it from there, powering through a stiff arm at midfield and rumbling into the end zone for the go-ahead score with 1:13 left.
In Other News...
Johnny Davis Is Giving Wisconsin Fans Reason To Believe Again
Johnny Davis is back in the kind of form that once made Wisconsin fans believe he could be a future pro star. The former top-10 NBA draft pick has opened his run with Korfez Basket in the Turkish Basketball Super League by turning in strong performances, including a 31-point, 12-rebound game, and the early numbers point to a player looking much more comfortable on the floor.
Over a three-game sample, his shooting efficiency has improved, his assist-to-turnover ratio looks better and his defensive activity has picked up as well. It is a promising stretch for a player whose path to this point has been bumpy, and it gives Badgers fans a reason to keep an eye on what comes next, even if the bigger question of whether this becomes an NBA return is still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Earned A Huge Road Win And Got No Respect After
Wisconsin left Beaver Stadium with a road win that should have carried real weight, especially against a Penn State team playing in front of its home crowd. The Badgers did enough to leave with the result, and in a game like that, the opponent usually has no choice but to acknowledge what happened on the other sideline.
Instead, Penn State head coach Matt Campbell spent his postgame news conference dwelling almost entirely on his own teams mistakes. He pointed to missed chances, a touchdown given up after a player slipped, and a long list of opportunities Penn State failed to convert, while Wisconsins performance barely got a mention. For the Badgers, it was a reminder that a hard-earned win does not always come with the respect it deserves. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin May Already Have Its Most Reliable Weapon Off The Bench
Through four games, Darrion Dupree has gone from a depth option to one of Wisconsin footballs most dependable answers on offense. He has already led the team in rushing yards in a recent game and has chipped in as a receiver, showing the kind of versatility that can change how the Badgers structure their snaps. Even with a dropped pass in one outing, he kept producing, and his ability to force missed tackles has made him look like more than just a change-of-pace runner.
That matters for a Wisconsin offense still sorting through other moving parts, with Abu Sama dealing with injuries and Malachi Coleman searching for steadier production. In that kind of mix, Duprees emergence gives the Badgers a back who can stay on the field and handle different jobs without much drop-off. For a team looking for reliable offense, the bench may already be hiding one of its most useful weapons. [Read more 🡒]