Just a week after winning the Big Ten East Division and earning a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game, the Penn State Nittany Lion football team will take on the Wisconsin Badgers, the winners of the Big Ten West Division. Here´s the scoop on the Badgers.
Quarterback
Penn State: Trace McSorley has been one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the FBS, as he was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week last week with 376 yards and 4 passing touchdowns against Michigan State. His scrambling abilities have made him a huge problem for defenses all year.
Wisconsin: Wisconsin has alternated between two quarterbacks all year, with redshirt-freshman Alex Hornibrook and senior Bart Houston splitting snaps. Hornibrook has been a scrambler and Houston has been more of a passing quarterback this season. Hornibrook, a Pitt transfer and lefty, is questionable for this game.
Advantage: Penn State
Running Back
Penn State: Saquon Barkley has been the centerpiece of the Penn State offense this season, as he has averaged 5.3 yards per carry and 101 rushing yards per game. However, Barkley had the worst performance of his career last Saturday, averaging a mere 1.2 yards per carry and only 14 rushing yards total. However, he is a big play waiting to happen, and can give opposing defenses fits.
Wisconsin: The Badgers have one of the best offensive lines in the country, and they create holes for another one of the country's best backs in Corey Clement, a senior from Glassboro, New Jersey. Also, he has a great backup in Dare Ogunbowale, also a senior, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Clement has averaged 4.2 yards per carry as well as 103 yards per game on the ground with 13 touchdowns. Ogunbowale has averaged 5.7 yards per carry and 38 yards per game, as well as 3 rushing TDs.
Advantage: Even
Receivers
Penn State: Wideout Chris Godwin(63 yards per game, 9 touchdowns), tight end Mike Gesicki (51 yards per game, 3 touchdowns), as well as wide receivers DaeSean Hamilton(32 yards per game, 1 touchdown) and DeAndre Thompkins(39 yards per game, also 1 touchdown) have been the Lions’ leading receivers this season, as they have compiled some impressive totals and given quarterback Trace McSorley multiple great targets to throw to.
Wisconsin: Wide receivers Jazz Peavy (48 yards per game) and Robert Wheelwright (36 yards per game), as well as tight end Troy Fumagalli (39 yards per game) have been the top 3 targets for Badger quarterbacks this year. Though Wisconsin is a run-based team, they can still hurt you with their passing game.
Advantage: Penn State
Defense
Penn State: The Nittany Lion defense has allowed 23 points per game this season, but have picked it up since being blown out by then-#4 Michigan. The Penn State defense has only allowed 18 points per contest during their current 8 game winning streak. Defensive coordinator Brent Pry has had lots of players back from injury back on the field during the recent weeks and the defense has blossomed and grown in the process. When the Lions´ defense is playing their ¨A¨ game, they can be very tough to stop.
Wisconsin: On the other hand, the Badgers have allowed just 18 points per game this year, and their top playmakers are ready to go. Their top 3 players in tackles consists of linebackers T.J. Edwards (75) and Jack Cichy (60), as well as senior safety Leo Musso (59). Also, defensive end T.J. Watt, brother of NFL star J.J. Watt (and a 2016 All-Big Ten Defensive first team member) ,has added 55 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and 1 interception, which he returned for a touchdown. The Badgers defense is one of the best in the nation, and they have showed that through their first 12 games this season.
Advantage: Penn State
Special Teams
Penn State: Tyler Davis, a member of the 2016 All-Big Ten First Team, has been very reliable this season, going 21-for-23 with a long of 40. Freshman Blake Gillikin has given PSU a huge asset in the punting game, he has averaged 42 yards per punt, and has placed 20 of his 54 punts inside the 20 yard line this year.
Wisconsin: The Badgers have had to undergo a kicking change this season, with the highly skilled Rafael Gaglianone gone for the year with a back injury. In the meantime, Andrew Endicott, a senior from Roseville, California, has taken his place and gone 11-16 on field goals this year, with a long of 46. As far as Wisconsin punting, Anthony Lotti has done those honors, as he owns a 38 yard average and has placed 22 of 44 punts inside the 20 yard line.
Advantage: Penn State
Interesting facts about the Badgers:
Have played 5 teams this season who were ranked in the top 7 at the time they played
Have outscored opponents 176-79 in the first half and 342-176 in total this season
The last time Penn State played Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions prevailed 31-24 in Madison in the final game of the 2013 season
Overall Prediction: Wisconsin lands the first punch, and leads 10-3 after the first quarter. However, Penn State comes back to take a 17-10 halftime lead and keeps the momentum during the second half to just edge out the Badgers late on a long field goal from Tyler Davis as time expires to win the Big Ten.
Penn State 27 Wisconsin 24