No. 3 Penn State dusts off an early scare to defeat Wisconsin on the road and remain unbeaten

After an injury to QB1 Drew Allar, junior backup Beau Pribula showed he's got the abilities to lead the Nittany Lions

Penn State's Beau Pribula, right, tries to get away from Wisconsin's Darryl Peterson (17), Ricardo Hallman (2) and Hunter Wohler (24) during the second half of their game in Madison on Saturday.Read moreMorry Gash / AP

by Avery Hill

Published Oct. 26, 2024, 11:47 p.m. ET

MADISON, Wis. — A second-half surge from No. 3 Penn State fueled a 28-13 road win against Wisconsin inside a sold-out Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday night.

After trailing 10-7 at halftime, an injury-riddled Nittany Lions side (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten), most notably with junior quarterback Drew Allar having to miss the second half due to an undisclosed injury he sustained just before halftime.

Junior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and redshirt freshman right tackle Anthony Donkoh also suffered injuries in the first half. Dennis-Sutton returned briefly before being ruled out, and Donkoh never returned.

Allar goes down, Pribula steps up

After a noticeably dejected Allar sat on the sideline with a towel over his head, backup quarterback Beau Pribula got the nod for the second half.

To that point, Allar was 14 of 18 for 148 yards and a touchdown. He did fumble on a quarterback sneak but otherwise looked comfortable under center.

Pribula took over and struggled initially, fumbling a snap and allowing a delay of game that set Penn State back. However, he managed to compose himself and finished 11 of 13 for 98 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 28 yards on six carries.

Generally dialed up by offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki for gadget plays or to close out an already big lead, against the Badgers (5-3, 3-2) Pribula got to display his legitimacy as a quarterback, as he showed elusiveness that a bigger body like Allar isn’t able to do, weaving through traffic to hit runners, like junior running back Kaytron Allen, leaking to the flats.

Allen led all Nittany Lions rushers with 86 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown.

Jaylen Reed turns the tide

Another game, another clutch interception by senior safety Jaylen Reed.

With Penn State trailing, Badger quarterback Braedyn Locke threw a pass down the middle and Reed was right there, taking it back for a pick-six. Locke finished 22 of 42 for 217 yards and a touchdown.

Reed had picked off a pass against USC in regulation three weeks earlier, sending the game into overtime.

Reed’s pick added onto the second-half success Penn State’s defense had.

All year, Reed’s been the x-factor of that defense, manning defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s lion position and stepping in for junior safety Kevin Winston Jr., who sustained what Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin has only referred to as a “long-term injury.”

The win served as the precursor to a massive game against No. 4 Ohio State, and its quarterback in Downingtown native Will Howard. Howard and the Buckeyes head into Beaver Stadium for a showdown next Saturday (noon, Fox29).