The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: Reviewing Penn State football’s 28-13 win over Wisconsin
Penn State earned a big win Saturday in Wisconsin, taking down the Badgers 28-13 to get to 7-0 on the season.
Let’s get straight into the analysis.
Good
Beau Pribula: The star of the show was not on anyone’s radar heading into the game, but by the end of it he was all anyone could talk about. Pribula was able to move the offense down the field consistently after taking over in the second half following Drew Allar’s injury late in the first half, and showed he’s more than just a change of pace backup for the Nittany Lions. He was efficient in the passing game and opened up the running game for himself and the Penn State running backs. Pribula’s athleticism was a difference maker against a Wisconsin defense that has been one of the best in the country.
It remains to be seen how much he’ll have to play moving forward, but the Nittany Lions can rest easy knowing they have at least two quality quarterbacks on their roster.
Andy Kotelnicki: Pribula gets plenty of credit for coming in and succeeding, but Kotelnicki deserves some of it too. The Penn State offensive coordinator has been masterful all season with Allar at quarterback, but was faced with a much different challenge with the backup in. Pribula is a better athlete but is not the same level of passer as the starter. Instead of fitting a square peg into a round hole, Kotelnicki shifted his play-calling to emphasize the backup’s strengths — with more run plays and more opportunities to get him on the move as a passer.
The Nittany Lions have been desperate for the kind of offensive mastermind it now has in Kotelnicki. Saturday is just another feather in his cap for the season while he keeps proving he’s one of the best coordinators in the country on either side of the ball.
Jaylen Reed: I thought Reed would have a lot of success in the Lion position in defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s defense, but I didn’t expect him to take the leap he has when he’s back at safety. The Nittany Lion defender has played more in the back end since K.J. Winston went down with an injury early in the season, and has been better than ever at that position. He’s excelled in coverage thanks to his instincts and is consistently making plays on the ball when it goes in the air. That pairs well with how well he’s played in the running game, continually getting downhill and making plays in the hole.
Reed doesn’t get as much attention as some of the other defenders on this team, but he might be the most valuable piece on the defense right now, and is playing as well as anyone.
Zane Durant and Alonzo Ford: Penn State’s pass rush continues to play at a high level, and you can really give credit to any number of players across the defensive front. But I don’t know if any two players have been as impactful as Durant and Ford. Both have been creating pressure on passing plays and have done a good job of shedding blocks to make plays against the run. If I’m being honest, it’s much more about the pass rush than anything else, though, because of the value it brings to the unit.
It’s great to get pressure on quarterbacks from any spot, but an interior rush can be particularly meaningful. Quarterbacks are used to having to step up in the pocket when a defensive end gets push from the edge, but when it comes from the middle of the line, they’re forced to bail out of the pocket entirely. Durant and Ford combined for 2.5 tackles for loss against the Badgers, but the pressures they get every week can ruin an opposing offense’s gameplan.
Penn State’s receivers: It wasn’t a perfect day (yes, I’m talking about Julian Fleming’s drop when he was wide open early in the game) but I thought Penn State’s wideouts had as good of a game as they have all season. The team’s top three receivers — Tre Wallace, Liam Clifford and Fleming — combined for nine catches for 123 yards in the game. No, that’s not some prolific game or extraordinary performance. But it is a good day for a group that isn’t always getting all that many targets. That doesn’t account for how well they blocked on the outside to help out a dominant run performance in the second half.
This won’t be the best statistical game the Nittany Lion wideouts have all year, but they were decidedly good and that matters for a group that has seen its production fluctuate from week to week.
Bad
Downfield threat with Pribula: This is nitpicking of the highest order but it’s something worth monitoring if Allar is unable to go against Ohio State. For as good as Pribula was for the Nittany Lions against Wisconsin, he didn’t do a lot to stretch the field vertically. That didn’t matter against the Badgers but it will likely be a problem against the Buckeyes, who have one of the best defenses in the country — if not the best. Penn State will need to be able to attack downfield, otherwise it will be too easy for Ohio State to stack the box with defenders and focus on defending the run.
That’s not to say Pribula can’t be a threat in that regard, but it’s not something he’s done to this point and could be a factor as long as the team is relying on him at quarterback.
Ugly
Injury situation: Losing three starters is never good, especially not when they’re at three of the most important positions on the field. Allar’s absence is one thing — and there’s even reason to believe the issue isn’t all that serious, with head coach James Franklin saying he thought he was going to try to play in the second half — but the other two could be more damaging. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton left with an injury and tried to return before bowing out for the game, and right tackle Anthony Donkoh left with an injury of his own. The Nittany Lions will need all three to give Ohio State their best shot, and it’s worth monitoring if they’re out and for how long.
This story was originally published October 27, 2024 at 4:39 PM.
