Wisconsin overcomes 17-0 deficit to stun No. 13 Penn State in biggest win of Luke Fickell’s tenure
For a quarter and a half, it looked like it would be another listless Wisconsin loss under Luke Fickell. It went on to become the biggest victory of the coach’s tenure in Madison.
The unranked Badgers overcame a 17-0 deficit to upset No. 13 Penn State on the road, taking the lead for good on a 72-yard pass from Colton Joseph to Jacob Harris with less than two minutes remaining.
The touchdown gave Penn State enough time for a last-minute drive, but it ended with an incomplete bouncing Hail Mary as time expired.
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Final score: Wisconsin 24, Penn State 20.
The win was Fickell’s best since coming to Wisconsin from Cincinnati. There isn’t much competition, as the trainer’s only ranked win in four seasons was last year’s upset over then-No. 23 Washington. The coach was 1-12 against AP-ranked teams in Wisconsin on Saturday.
Wisconsin’s offense certainly made it look like that number would soon be 1 through 13. After an uneventful first quarter, quarterback Colton Joseph handed the ball to the Nittany Lions on back-to-back interceptions. The first was returned 51 yards for a touchdown. The second was returned to the Wisconsin 11-yard line, with Penn State’s Rocco Becht scoring a touchdown three plays later.
That made the score 17-0. Wisconsin got a touchdown late in the first half and the defense played a brilliant game all day, allowing just 233 total yards and six scores.
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“They were with me every step of the way,” Joseph told NBC Sports after the game. “They never lost confidence in me. I didn’t lose confidence in them.
“At halftime, they said, ‘Hey, Colton, we know it was tough, but we’ve got your back. We’ve got your back no matter what.'”
Joseph went from a 10-of-22 passing performance for 93 yards and 2 picks in the first three quarters to 8-of-16 passing for 144 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception in the fourth quarter.
That last pick could have been the end of things — he gave Penn State the ball with a 10-point lead and eight minutes to play — but Wisconsin played a near-perfect game from there, limiting Penn State to three and outs and scoring touchdowns over the next four possessions. Just three weeks earlier, they lost 41-13 to No. 3 Notre Dame.
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“I can’t describe it right now,” Fickell said. “The way we came back, the way we kept fighting, we saw that a little bit at the end of last year. That’s who we are. That’s what we need to be. We can make things a lot cleaner, but I’m so proud of these guys. It’s something I don’t think a lot of people thought would happen, and I know a lot of people back home didn’t know it either, but this team is getting better.”
On the other hand, a cathartic day for Wisconsin proved costly for Penn State. The Nittany Lions weren’t a top tier of contenders, or even the next tier, but they seemingly had a path to the College Football Playoff.
No. 12 USC represented the toughest opponent on its regular-season schedule, with No. 18 Michigan the only other ranked threat. No Indiana, no Ohio State, no Oregon. They could have possibly led the table, but guaranteed a place in the playoffs. This option is no longer possible, despite a three-point lead against a team which had every reason to be discouraged.
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