PSU Football: Nittany Lions win defensive battle over Wisconsin

Penn State football took on Wisconsin Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions emerged victorious, but it took every ounce of effort they possessed.

Penn State and Wisconsin faced each other in typical Big Ten weather conditions. It was a cold and windy afternoon in State College. The game was ugly at times but Penn State got their seventh win of the season 22-10 over the Badgers.

Quarterback Trace McSorley played well, going 19 of 25 for 160 yards and a touchdown. He aggravated a knee injury he sustained against Iowa and Tommy Stevens played two series near the end of the first half. McSorley played the rest of the way.

This game was a story of the running backs. Jonathan Taylor got it started early on the third play of the day with a 71-yard touchdown run. He finished the day with 185 yards on 20 carries and the score.

Taylor’s counterpart Miles Sanders did not want Taylor to have all of the spotlight. He finished the day with 159 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown. He even channeled his inner Saquon Barkley on two hurdles over defenders. Sanders also passed the 1,000 yard rushing mark with his performance.

Outside of Taylor running the ball, Wisconsin could not get anything going on offense. Jack Coan started for the injured Alex Hornibrook and never looked comfortable in the pocket. The Penn State defense got after Coan all day and he finished with only 60 yards passing and threw two interceptions. He was also sacked four times on the day and harassed every time he dropped back.

The Nittany Lions entered the fourth quarter of the game leading by nine points. The fourth quarter has not been kind to Penn State this year as they have blown leads. But this time it was different as they won the time of possession battle so the defense was fresher in the last frame. It certainly helped with under two minutes to go after Penn State turned it over on a poor snap to Wisconsin. The defense stood tall and intercepted the ball to seal the win.

Penn State moves to 7-3 and 4-3 in the conference. They travel to face Rutgers next week. Wisconsin moves to a disappointing 6-4 and 4-3 in the conference. They most likely have played their way of the Big Ten West race. The Badgers visit Purdue next week.