Winners and losers from Wisconsin's massive upset victory over Penn State

The Wisconsin Badgers had quite an interesting game in their Big Ten opener, battling tooth and nail with a top-13-ranked Penn State team. In the end, the Badgers pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, taking down the Nittany Lions 24-20.

Wisconsin had to battle back from a steep deficit and through adversity throughout the entire game, but in the end, it was able to do the impossible and pull out a victory. As always, there were winners and there were losers, so let's break it down.

Winners

Luke Fickell

The “Fire Fickell” crowd definitely took a narrative hit this week, as this was the marquee win for him to stamp his place with this program moving forward. Any noise about him being on the hot seat was almost immediately silenced with this performance today, as, after all, it was one of the best wins in his entire coaching tenure.

Everything from the defense staying locked in from start to finish to the offense battling through turnover struggles, Fickell was able to keep his crew focused from the start to the end and generate explosive plays when it mattered the most.

The rumors can rest for now, as it does seem as if Fickell has turned this program around.

Darrion Dupree

Arguably the biggest factor in Wisconsin's comeback victory today was the play of junior running back Darrion Dupree. After some silly mistakes early on, Dupree really locked in, providing big play after big play and being the outlet the Badgers needed at every turn.

He finished with 12 total touches for 96 total yards — which on paper isn't world-breaking. But given the magnitude of the big moments and consistent play down the stretch, it's hard to quantify just how impactful he was.

Losers

Are there any?

In games like this, it's hard to really pinpoint any real losers, as everyone who played had a huge part in the winning effort. Some may point to quarterback Colton Joseph, who definitely had his shortcomings. But given how clutch he was down the stretch, it's hard to knock him as a loser in this one.

Maybe someone like Kevin Heywood can get a finger pointed at him, as he did have some costly penalties down the stretch of the game. But again, in the end, he did what was needed to get the job done.

In short, there are no losers. It was an all-around massive win for a Wisconsin fanbase that could not be more deserving.

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