Penn State football once again faced an early deficit when it got the ball for its second drive of the game.

After Drew Allar fumbled on the opening drive, the Nittany Lions were pinned back at their own 10-yard line. The passing game clicked, and Allar went six-for-six with 83 passing yards on a 90-yard touchdown drive.

Kaytron Allen rushed for a gain of two down to the six-yard line on the first play of the second quarter. Allar looked to Nick Singleton on second-and-goal in the corner of the end zone, who reached out and brought the ball in one-handed.

“It was a great ball, great protection, and Tyler Warren made a great pick for me,” Singleton said postgame. “From there, just make a play for my team.”

After the touchdown pass, the passing game continued to shine. Tyler Warren was once again a reliable target as Allar threw just four more incompletions before halftime.

James Franklin and Andy Kotelnicki took advantage of the success, too. Of the Nittany Lions’ 194 total first-half yards, 148 came through the air. Even with the imbalance, the ability to adapt to the early struggles was paramount in the victory.

“That was one of the prettiest and ugliest wins we’ve had,” James Franklin said postgame. “You’re going to have to find ways to win games throughout a season, and our guys were able to do that today.”

But, Allar didn’t return for the second half. Beau Pribula took the reins with the Nittany Lions trailing 10-7 at halftime, and the passing attack was nonexistent for the first two drives of the second half as Pribula went 3-5 for 18 yards, leading to two punts.

The coaching staff adjusted, and the offense recovered. As Singleton and Allen started to find more lanes in the Wisconsin defensive line, Pribula started to connect with his receivers and completed passes to five different players in the second half.

“[Pribula’s] come into many games and made plays, but obviously coming in and having to win the game is a different goal,” wide receiver Liam Clifford said. “I know everyone would agree with me that no one felt nervous or anything.”

While Warren has become the playmaker for the offense, he wasn’t heavily featured in the win over Wisconsin. The star tight end finished the game with seven receptions for 46 yards and two rushes for two yards.

In his place, the receivers stepped up. Trey Wallace hauled in five catches for 67 yards while Liam Clifford caught all three of his targets and finished with 40 yards. Tight end Khalil Dinkins also caught both of his targets on Saturday, including a 17-yard touchdown grab.

Allen scored the game’s final touchdown with a 24-yard rush on a direct snap, showcasing the versatility and range of the offense as the blue and white finished with 246 yards through the air and 173 on the ground, good enough for 419 yards of total offense. When the Nittany Lions needed to adjust, they did.

“One thing that stood out to me was the unselfish team with unselfish players,” Franklin said. ” The offensive coaches did a good job of changing how we called the game and I’m just really proud of our guys.”