It's on to Ohio State as Penn State finishes off Wisconsin
Beau Pribula saved the day for the Nittany Lions after Drew Allar exited the game.
MADISON, Wis. — Let’s add some more drama to the biggest Penn State game in recent memory, why don’t we?
Let’s turn the stakes up even higher.
Why not?
No. 3 Penn State did what it was supposed to do Saturday, beating a good-but-not-great Wisconsin team, 28-13. The Nittany Lions overcame a halftime deficit. They avoided the trap-iest of all trap games, in one of college football’s elite primetime environments.
“Jump Around” just hits different when the game is close, as this one was for three-plus quarters.
But further adding to the tension was the fact that Penn State went the second half without Drew Allar, right as it looked as though he were starting to play his best ball.
That Penn State’s offense eventually clicked late with Beau Pribula only adds to the juice around this program, which will have a spotlight like no other next Saturday for its top-five matchup with Ohio State.
Between the recent lopsided history with the two teams and an impending visit from a presidential candidate, that date already stood out for a variety of reasons.
Then came Saturday.
Ohio State followed its open date — which followed its loss at Oregon — by struggling to beat Nebraska. Yes, that’s the same Nebraska team that was fresh off a 49-point whooping at the hands of Indiana. If that weren’t enough, Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard added to the intrigue by telling reporters of this upcoming matchup: “I cannot wait. It’s gonna be a homecoming for me. I grew up a Penn State fan. I wanted to go there my whole life. They didn’t think I was good enough, but I guess we’ll see next week if I was."
And oh, by the way, the status of Allar remains to be determined, as he walked off the field lightly after Penn State’s final drive of the first half and did not return. Wearing a brace on his left knee, he was active on the sidelines all second half, both physically and verbally, coaching the offense when it was out on the field and talking to players as they came off.