Penn State Football: 3 hot takes from Nittany Lions win over Wisconsin

Penn State football scored an impressive win Saturday and here are three hot takeaways from the Nittany Lions win over Wisconsin. 

Coming into the 2021 season, Penn State football had plenty to prove and with a season-opening game at Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions jumped right in with one of their most important games this season.

And while it wasn’t a beauty contest, Penn State football, a team that struggled in these sorts of games a year ago, found a way to win a 16-10 battle.

The offense struggled and didn’t even reach 300 total yards. But Penn State football also made key play after key play, which is how it escaped Madison with a win, and here’s are three things learned about the Nittany Lions in Week 1.

Penn State is a Big Ten title contender

Going into the season, many thought Wisconsin would be the top challenger to Ohio State. However, in the 247 team talent rankings, both the Nittany Lions and Michigan rank above Wisconsin.

Talent is one thing but getting the most out of it and finding a way to grind out a win at Wisconsin is another.

It was hard to get a read on this team prior to Saturday’s game. Penn State dropped its first five games of 2020 and then won four in a row. It also had the same quarterback which led it to a New Year’s Six Bowl back in 2019 in Sean Clifford.

Clifford could have been better but he was 19-for-33 for 247 yards and connected with Jahan Dotson on a 49-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter, a play that proved to be one of the biggest in the game.

This was the kind of game that Penn State might have dropped in the past and the end felt very similar to the Indiana game last year. But James Franklin’s team pulled it out and along with Iowa, made an early statement that it is a Big Ten title contender.