Wisconsin Football: 3 takeaways from home defeat to Penn State

2. Wisconsin Badgers defense has issues in the backfield

Penn State is no slouch, and their offense will likely overpower plenty of defenses both inside and outside Big Ten play. Against Wisconsin football in the first half, the Nittany Lions looked like lost souls scrambling around without any hope. It was hardly unexpected. The Badgers ranked in the top five in total defense each of the past two years and in the top 10 in points allowed. Even the best offenses have struggled at times to crack the mysteries of the Wisconsin defense.

After 30 minutes of play, Penn State was as mystified as anyone. The visitors managed to compile only 43 yards on 22 offensive plays. The Nittany Lions managed to move the chains only once, as punter Jordan Stout got plenty of work in the first half.

But Penn State made a huge adjustment at the intermission that exposed one of Wisconsin’s biggest defensive weaknesses. Penn State took the first lead of the game on their opening drive of the third half, as Sean Clifford started airing out the ball. The go-ahead score came on a long pass from Clifford to Jahan Dotson, catching the receiver in stride for a 49-yard strike.

Suddenly Mike Yurcich had found a manipulable advantage for the offense. Penn State kept coming back to the long ball, as Clifford finished the game with 247 yards and a touchdown on 18-of-33 passing. The Nittany Lions were kept one-dimensional, as Noah Cain and company finished with only 50 team rushing yards.

That dimension proved enough to win the game for Penn State, which yields some serious cause for concern for Wisconsin football moving forward.