5 things that stood out from Wisconsin’s loss to Penn State

Wisconsin kept pace with Penn State for most of three quarters, but the No. 3 Nittany Lions flexed their muscles and retired at the end 28-13. There was a lot to take from the Badgers’ performance.

During Wisconsin’s three-game winning streak, Locke showed he’s more than capable of being a quarterback in the Big Ten. But, tonight looked like a big part of the Badgers great game in years. Locke finished the night 22 of 42 for 217 yards and had an interception for the fifth straight game. It just looked more like a game manager. If the Badgers want to take the next step as a program, they need to have better quarterback play.

If there was one positive to take from Wisconsin’s performance against Penn State, it was that punter Atticus Bertrams proved once again that he’s a weapon. It wasn’t just the first down he got on a fake field goal, he was incredibly valuable when he came to turn the field over for the Badgers. He finished the night with five punts for 257 total yards, averaging a remarkable 51.4 yards per punt.

Fickell’s most significant win since becoming the Badgers’ head coach was arguably last season’s rivalry win on the road against Minnesota, but the Gophers were 5-6 prior to that game. Tonight was an opportunity for him to earn his first victory. He is now 0-5 against ranked opponents, but will get another shot next month against current no. 1 Oregon.

When veteran running back Chez Mellusi left the team for health reasons earlier this season, there were plenty of questions about Wisconsin’s running game. Tawee Walker has had three straight games of 90+ yards, but was stopped tonight against Penn State. He finished with 22 carries for 59 yards and the Badgers had nothing going for them in the running game. Wisconsin football will always be at its best with a strong running game, and they still have a long way to go before they become dominant in that area.

Penn State starting quarterback Drew Allar did not play in the second half. Beau Pribula has played less than 250 snaps in his career, but he looked like a seasoned veteran in the second half tonight. He was 11 of 13 for 98 yards and a passing touchdown while adding six carries for 28 yards on the ground. Wisconsin’s defense was expected to be a strength of this team, but they let a backup quarterback come in and do whatever he wanted for 30 minutes of football.