Wisconsin did not play a great football game against Penn State. In fact, they looked like they were going to lose until they weren't... at the very end. The Badgers mainly had to get out of their own way, as you will see below. Two of the following corrections are self-inflicted. The other simply needs to be a point of emphasis, and the big boys need to do their job.
Wisconsin struggled against Penn State and yet was able to steal a win in Happy Valley. Luke Fickell even said that they got away with two things that aren't winning recipes. Those are both included, but we added another.
1. Penalties
Wisconsin was heavily penalized in the game against Penn State. It's hard to win games when you are giving away yardage for being undisciplined. The Badgers had nine penalties for 52 yards. Penn State, on the other hand, only had three penalties for 15 yards.
Wisconsin somehow overcame this deficit and found a win, but this can't continue. Wisconsin has to find a way to stop getting silly penalties. Five of the flags thrown against Wisconsin were false starts. Some of that may be due to the hostile environment and playing on the road, but let's be real, those are so frustrating.
2. Rushing
Wisconsin hasn't been a great running team this season, which feels like nails on the chalkboard to a Badger fan's soul. With as much talent as is in the Wisconsin running back stable, we need to find more success there.
Against Penn State, the Badgers technically won the rushing battle by 1 yard, but those stats are a little misleading. The final rushing totals were 120-119 (Penn State). Yet, if you take out quarterback rushing yards, Wisconsin is the loser, and by a decent chunk. The Nittany Lions had 96 rushing yards (non-quarterback) while the Badgers only had 81.
If Wisconsin wants to make sure they avoid an upset this weekend, getting the ground game going will be a huge key. Badger fans will take a big sigh of relief if we have a running back go over 100 yards against the Spartans.
3. Turnovers
This is clearly the most obvious. By halftime, Wisconsin fans were ready to send Colton Joseph packing. He ultimately threw three picks, costing a total of 14 points. One of those interceptions was a pick-six. It was awful.
Yet, somehow, he was able to rally and get things going in the third and fourth quarters, leading the Badgers back from 17-0 down. Yet, good luck winning games when you decide to gift the opponent free points or even just extra possessions.
Wisconsin lost the turnover battle 3-1 versus Penn State and yet still found a way to win. Yet, losing the turnover battle is often a major reason why teams will lose games. If Michigan State beats Wisconsin, it would be due to winning the turnover battle. So, let's not let that one happen again, flush that 3-interception game out of your mind, Joseph, and let's go get the Spartans.
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