How To Lose To Wisconsin In 10 Plays

Ericka Apolskis | Onward State

Football is a momentum-based game.

One team can have every single thing go right in the first half, but if it starts slipping up, it will fall flat on its face and lose in embarrassing fashion.

Penn State football didn’t have every single thing go right in the first half against Wisconsin on Saturday, but it did fall flat on its face and lose in embarrassing fashion.

As my good friend and fellow football beat member Cadyn Gill noted as we watched the latest Penn State collapse unfold from the Beaver Stadium press box, there really are just a handful of plays that decide a football game. It sounds obvious, but Saturday was a harsh reminder of that principle rule of the sport for Penn State fans.

Here are the top 10 plays that doomed the Nittany Lions against the Badgers.

No. 1: Carson Hansen On The First Play Of The Game

1st-and-10 on PSU25

[NH] HANSEN, Carson rush to the left for no gain to the PSU25 (WEST, Bryce).

The Penn State offense took the field to open the game with none other than … Carson Hansen at running back.

You would’ve thought that Taylor Mouser and Matt Campbell would have taken the hint following Quinton Martin Jr.’s 100-yard game against Buffalo, or Cam Wallace’s 59-yard score, or James Peoples’ two-touchdown showing, but apparently they didn’t.

Hansen got the rock on the first play of the game against the Badgers and did exactly what he’s done all year: run up the middle for no gain.

Who would want to start Big Ten play with an explosive play, anyway? Or even positive yardage?

Hansen’s no-gain set the tone for what turned out to be a long day for the Penn State offense.

No. 2: Offense Settles For Three Once More

3rd-and-4 on WIS4

[NHSG] BECHT, Rocco pass to the right incomplete intended for SOWELL, Chase broken up by FEARBRY, Tyreese.

Penn State continued its trend of not scoring a touchdown for its opening points so far this season against Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions marched into the red zone behind a 19-yard completion from Rocco Becht to Benjamin Brahmer midway through the opening frame, but that’s where the problems started.

The offense worked its way into 3rd-and-goal from Wisconsin’s 4-yard line after two miserable rushes. Becht targeted Chase Sowell in the end zone for the game’s opening score, but Badger outside linebacker Tyreese Fearbry broke it up, forcing Penn State to settle for a field goal.

The Nittany Lions failing to punch it into the end zone once again, like Hansen’s rush, set the tone for the game. Penn State couldn’t pierce the veil. Wisconsin isn’t Marshall, Temple, or Buffalo. The red zone trips have to end in six points in conference play.

No. 3: First Wisconsin Touchdown

2nd-and-6 on PSU7

[SG] QB Keeper JOSEPH, Colton rush to the left for a gain of 7 yards to the PSU0, 1ST DOWN, TOUCHDOWN WIS, clock 01:18 (Scoring play confirmed).

Penn State’s main focus on defense all week was to limit Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph’s involvement in the run game. He established himself as a mobile threat through non-conference play and was one of the Badgers’ leading rushers heading into Beaver Stadium.

So why did Penn State not have a dedicated quarterback spy on a read-option look in the red zone?

Joseph tucked the ball after faking a handoff to Darrion Dupree and waltzed into the end zone comfortably enough. Ike Ezeogu whiffed on the read and went for Dupree, with Joseph already wrapped around the defensive cluster.

No. 4: Becht’s First Interception Of The Season

1st-and-10 on PSU22

[NHSG] BECHT, Rocco pass up the middle intercepted by PERKINS, Charles at the PSU22 broken up by RUSSELL IV, Hammond intended for BRAHMER, Benjamin, no return, clock 12:21.

It was coming sooner or later, but Becht threw his first Penn State interception at a very inopportune time for the Nittany Lions. To be fair, it was a batted ball that hung in the air forever. To be fair again, why did Becht choose to target Gabe Burkle underneath with the Wisconsin defensive tackles already in his face?

Becht’s low ball deflected off of Hammond Russel IV’s outstretched hands, allowing defensive lineman Charles Perkins to pluck it out of the air and hand possession back to the Badgers.

The slow first-half start turned into a horrendous second-half start, and it all piled on from there.

No. 5: Almost In The Red Zone? Screw Up Immediately

1st-and-10 on WIS24

PEOPLES, James rush to the left for a loss of 5 yards to the WIS29 (POSA, Mason).

Becht stepped up through the middle and unleashed a 19-yard scramble to get the juices flowing for Penn State midway through the third quarter. The Nittany Lions were now perched at the Wisconsin 24-yard line, knocking on the red zone door and possibly some more points.

Becht pitched a toss to Peoples down the left side, which Wisconsin linebacker Mason Posa immediately snuffed out after easily shedding left tackle Malachi Goodman’s attempted block, if you can even call it that.

Peoples had no chance to even try to turn it into a positive play after Becht injected some life into the offense. It brought the drive to a screeching halt and resulted in, you guessed it, a Ryan Barker field goal. Those three points were Penn State’s final points of the evening.

No. 6: Campbell Calls A Timeout After The Fourth Quarter Break & Punts On 4th-And-1

4th-and-1 on PSU38

TIYCE, Nathan punt 39 yards to the WIS23, fair catch by HENRY, Tyrell, clock 14:54.

Perhaps one of the most head-scratching decisions of the night from Campbell and the coaching staff as a whole was the choice to call a timeout after lining up to go for it on 4th-and-1 from Penn State’s own 38-yard line to open the fourth quarter.

The Beaver Stadium crowd had already grown a bit antsy following the field goal, but Campbell and Co. teasing with a fourth-down attempt felt like the game’s turning of the tide. The Nittany Lions did all of that just to burn a timeout AFTER the break and punt it back to the Badgers. Very confusing.

No. 7: Becht Fumbles The Snap After Tony Rojas’ Interception

2nd-and-10 on PSU45

QB Keeper BECHT, Rocco rush up the middle for a loss of 1 yard, BECHT, Rocco fumbled at PSU44 , recovered by PSU BECHT, Rocco at the PSU44 to the PSU44, End of Play.

Tony Rojas secured Penn State’s third interception of the night off an errant Joseph throw to the sideline. It felt like the game-securing play. All the Nittany Lions had to do was sustain a medium-sized drive to run the clock, put a few more points on the board, and put the game out of reach.

The offense took over. Wisconsin’s Javan Robinson broke up a deep pass targeted for Brett Eskildsen downfield. No big deal; it wasn’t the night for explosive plays. That was fine. Back to the drawing board for Penn State.

On 2nd-and-10, Becht fumbled the snap and immediately humped back on it, resulting in a 1-yard loss. There was nothing clearly disrupted in the exchange from an outside perspective. It just looked like Becht lost focus and lost the ball.

The fumbled snap immediately killed any hope for that drive for Penn State fans in Beaver Stadium as they rained the boos down following Becht’s incompletion on the following play. The Nittany Lions punted it back to the Badgers after taking off just 1:07 following Rojas’ pick.

No. 8: Second Wisconsin Touchdown

3rd-and-10 on PSU11

[SG] JOSEPH, Colton pass to the left complete for 11 yards to HILTON JR., Eugene to the PSU0; QB hurried by EBEL, Kooper, 1ST DOWN, TOUCHDOWN WIS, clock 03:31 (Scoring play confirmed).

Wisconsin capped off an 11-play, 75-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Joseph to Eugene Hilton Jr. with 3:31 remaining in the contest.

Penn State fans have to give credit where credit is due. The Badgers entered crunch time and held onto their hope, and it culminated in one of the most technically-gifted touchdown tosses and receptions you’ll see in college football.

The score made it a 20-17 ball game as an all-too-familiar feeling began seeping into Beaver Stadium.

No. 9: Penn State Gives The Ball Right Back

3rd-and-4 on PSU31

[NHSG] BECHT, Rocco pass to the right incomplete intended for BRAHMER, Benjamin broken up by CATALANO, Cooper at the PSU42.

Penn State regained possession from its own 25-yard line with 3:31 left in the game. Peoples gained some positive yards behind a 3-yard rush on 1st-and-10 before Becht hit Brahmer for three more yards on 2nd-and-7.

Wisconsin called its first timeout of the half before the third-down play, and it did indeed throw the Nittany Lions off their string of positive plays. Linebacker Cooper Catalano broke up Becht’s pass to Brahmer to the right. The incompletion stopped the clock and forced Penn State to punt with 2:28 remaining in the contest.

No. 10: The Backbreaker

3rd-and-13 on WIS28

[NHSG] JOSEPH, Colton pass deep up the middle complete for 72 yards to HARRIS, Jacob caught at the WIS47 and advanced to the PSU0, 1ST DOWN, TOUCHDOWN WIS, clock 01:13 (Scoring play confirmed).

Folks, you know exactly what happened.

Joseph hit tight end Jacob Harris over the middle for a 72-yard touchdown with just over a minute left in the game. Harris and Marcus Neal Jr. made contact, resulting in Neal falling to the ground, but it didn’t matter whether he slipped or the officials missed an offensive pass interference. Audavion Collins had a chance to wrap Harris up around the legs near the 35-yard line, and straight-up missed him.

Jeremiah Cooper chased after the Badger to no avail as the Nittany Lion faithful felt the crushing defeat become reality. That was all she wrote, as Campbell opened his Big Ten account 0-1.

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About the Author

Oscar Orellana

Oscar is a third-year broadcast journalism student from Los Angeles. He's probably at the movies. He mostly writes about Penn State football. Email him at [email protected].

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