Penn State 28-13 Wisconsin (Oct. 26, 2024) Game Recap

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Penn State's Beau Pribula said he received a simple message from Drew Allar before filling in for the injured quarterback in the second half Saturday night.

“Hold it,” Pribula recalled.

That's exactly what he did.

Pribula led touchdown drives on consecutive series and Jaylen Reed gave No. 3 Penn State the lead for good with a 19-yard interception return as the Nittany Lions overcame Allar's injury to beat Wisconsin 28-13.

The second-half comeback ensured Penn State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) would enter next weekend's home game against No. 4 Ohio State with an undefeated record.

Allar walked to the locker room ahead of his teammates in the final minute of the first half after landing somewhat awkwardly when he was sacked on Penn State's final series of the second quarter. Allar returned to the field in the second half with a brace around his left knee but remained on the sidelines for the rest of the night.

Penn State coach James Franklin had no immediate information about Allar's situation after the game. Pribula praised Allar for helping him during Penn State's second-half surge.

“He gave me great support throughout the game and gave me tips when he saw certain things on the field,” Pribula said.

The Nittany Lions were down 10-7 at the time of Allar's exit. Penn State also lost defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh to injuries.

Reed and Pribula helped ensure the Nittany Lions remained undefeated.

“Just a gutsy win,” Franklin said. “You lose your starting quarterback. You lose your start D end. You lose your first attack attack. It's the next man's turn. No excuses. I thought it was just a bold cultural victory from my perspective.”

Pribula went 11 of 13 for 98 yards through the air, including a 1-yard touchdown to Khalil Dinkins. He also rushed for 28 yards on six carries as Penn State beat Wisconsin 21-3 in the second half, ending the Badgers' (5-3, 3-2) three-game winning streak.

“I've been super prepared for occasions like this every week all week, just in case,” Pribula said. “I had confidence. I just had to tell everyone that nothing was going to change. We would do that just fine.”

But it was Reed who delivered the biggest play of the night.

Wisconsin's Braedyn Locke threw a pass over the middle from his own end zone on third-and-14 from the 8 that went straight to Reed. The Penn State safety then burst into the right corner of the end zone to give the Nittany Lions a 14-10 lead with 6:29 left in the third quarter.

“(I was) pretty surprised,” Reed said. “I thought he saw me, but I suspect he didn't. I appreciate it.”

Locke didn't apologize after that.

“I have to make a better decision and not leave it up to the other team,” said Locke, who went 22 of 42 for 217 yards.

Locke rebounded on Wisconsin's next series by throwing a 33-yard pass to CJ Williams, who set up a 32-yard field goal by Nathanial Vakos, cutting Penn State's lead to 14-13. Pribula responded by leading Penn State into the end zone on each of its next two possessions.

“He made some plays in the second half that were really, really great,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said.

Pribula capped a 13-play, 81-yard drive by finding a wide-open Dinkins in the back of the end zone with 10:01 to play. After Wisconsin went three-out on its next series, Penn State scored again on a 24-yard dash by Kaytron Allen with 3:10 left.

Before leaving the game, Allar completed 14 of 18 for 148 yards in the first half with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Nick Singleton, who made a one-handed grab. Allar also blocked a four-and-inches snap at the Wisconsin 28, thwarting a scoring opportunity on the Nittany Lions' opening series.

Wisconsin led 10-7 at halftime thanks to a 50-yard field goal by Vakos on the first series of the game and a 1-yard touchdown run by Tawee Walker with 1:23 left in the second quarter. Vakos' field goal followed a 15-yard run by punter Atticus Bertrams on a fake punt.

The takeaway food

Penn State: The Nittany Lions showed their strength by dominating the second half without some key players. Penn State also edged Wisconsin 173-81, with Allen gaining 86 yards on 11 carries while Walker was limited to 59 yards on 22 attempts.

Wisconsin: The Badgers missed a golden opportunity to change their recent history of struggling against ranked teams. Wisconsin has a 2-14 record in its last 16 games against top-25 teams, including an 0-5 mark under second-year coach Luke Fickell.

Impact on the survey

Penn State expects to remain at No. 3 when the new top 25 is released on Sunday.

Next

Penn State hosts Ohio State next Saturday, while Wisconsin visits Iowa the same day.

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