Wisconsin’s trip to Happy Valley turned into a night where the Badgers had to dig deep, absorb a rough start, and still walk out with a massive road win over No. 13 Penn State. The finishing punch came late, with Wisconsin scoring two touchdowns in the final four minutes after trailing for 58 minutes and 43 seconds.
That result moved the Badgers to 1-0 in Big Ten play and 3-1 overall, with Michigan State coming to Madison next. As Wisconsin turns the page, the snap counts from the Penn State win tell the story of how the offense was deployed in a tense road environment.
Quarterback play ended up defining the night. Joseph looked headed for one of the worst games of his college career before flipping the script with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive and a six-play, 85-yard touchdown march that put Wisconsin ahead and completed the comeback. It was a messy performance in stretches, but the late response made the difference.
In the backfield, Darrion Dupree handled the heavy lifting with 47 snaps. Abu Sama III logged 11 before going down early with an injury, and Nate Palmer saw nine snaps after Bryan Jackson was sidelined in Happy Valley. Palmer finished with just one carry for minus-5 yards, while Dupree continued to look like Wisconsin’s most effective runner pound for pound.
The receiver group stayed compact, especially with the game on the road in a tough setting. Chris Brooks Jr. led the wideouts with 46 snaps, followed closely by Eugene Hilton Jr. at 45 and Tyrell Henry at 41.
Malachi Coleman returned to action and played 27 snaps, while Shamar Rigby was on the field for 15. Brooks caught two passes for 16 yards, Henry was quiet after his record-setting outing against Eastern Michigan, and Coleman did not record a catch.
Outside of Hilton’s touchdown, the passing game leaned more heavily on Dupree and tight end Jacob Harris.
Harris was one of the clearest snap-count winners from the night. He played 36 snaps, his highest total among Wisconsin tight ends, and his role has grown each week.
After his 72-yard game-winning touchdown, it would be hard to imagine his playing time shrinking anytime soon. Grant Stec played 22 snaps, Emmett Bork had 20, and Ryan Schwendeman logged 16 after returning from a Week 3 absence, though he wasn’t a factor as a receiver.
Up front, Wisconsin kept its starting five intact for the most part. Colin Cubberly, Kevin Heywood, Austin Kawecki and PJ Wilkins each played all 67 snaps.
Emerson Mandell was on the field for 40 snaps, while Stylz Blackmon played 27 as the Badgers continued their rotation at right guard. This week, Mandell took most of the work there after Blackmon had been ahead of him against Eastern Michigan.
Wilkins handled every snap at left tackle, and there was no Lucas Simmons-Johansson sighting.
In Other News...
Luke Fickell Knows Wisconsin Cant Keep Winning Like This
Wisconsin came away with a huge win over Penn State, but the film gave Luke Fickell plenty to worry about afterward. The Badgers survived despite losing the turnover battle 3-1, with quarterback Colton Joseph throwing all three interceptions, and they also had to scrape by on the ground in a game where the rushing edge was razor-thin. Fickell made it clear the result mattered, but the formula did not look like one Wisconsin can lean on for long.
The bigger concern is sustainability. Wisconsin finished with only a one-yard edge in rushing yardage and was outperformed when the quarterback run game was stripped out, a sign the offense still has work to do if it wants to control games instead of just hang around in them. Fickell pointed to ball security and the rushing attack as the areas that have to improve moving forward, which is a fair reminder that even a win like this can feel more like a warning than a breakthrough. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Two LA Matchups Suddenly Carry Very Different Threats
With Wisconsin working through a demanding Big Ten slate, the trip out to Los Angeles is starting to look less like a single swing through two marquee programs and more like two games with very different levels of danger. The Badgers already have a tough one looming against No. 14 Iowa, and now the other West Coast stops are taking on new meaning as the conference race tightens.
UCLA has surged to 4-0 under new coach Bob Chesney and earned a spot in the Top 25 behind strong play on both sides of the ball, while USC remains a far more complicated read under Lincoln Riley. The Trojans have been drawing criticism for their defense and the fallout from a controversial player incident, and with Washington, Penn State and Wisconsin all on the schedule, the pressure around that matchup is only growing. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Now Has A Chance Fans Have Been Waiting On
Wisconsins win over No. 13 Penn State gave the Badgers a resume-building result and pushed them to 3-1, but it still was not enough to get them into the AP Top 25. They landed at No. 26, just outside the poll, which leaves them right on the doorstep of the kind of national recognition fans have been waiting to see again.
Michigan State comes to Madison next, and Wisconsin is favored to handle the Spartans at home. A victory would give the Badgers another chance to strengthen their case and possibly crack the Top 25, turning last weeks breakthrough into something even bigger as the season starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]