Nolan Rucci spent three years at Wisconsin before transferring to Penn State earlier this year, so he knows a thing or two about the Badgers.
Rucci, the former Warwick standout, wasn’t available for interviews this week, but one of his fellow offensive linemen said he’s been helpful.
“He said it’s going to be cool to go back there and see and play against the people he spent the last three years with,” said Anthony Donkoh, who shares right tackle with Rucci. “He’s helped the defensive guys, letting them know what to see with Wisconsin’s offensive line. He wants to prepare them for what they’re going to see.
“He’s very excited.”
Expect both teams to rely on their physicality when the third-ranked Nittany Lions (3-0 Big Ten, 6-0) meet the Badgers (3-1, 5-2) Saturday night at 7:30 (TV-NBC) at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
Since quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, a transfer from Miami, suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 42-10 loss to Alabama, Wisconsin has gone to Braedyn Locke and has altered its offense to become more ground-oriented.
The Badgers lost 38-21 at USC in Locke’s first start before reeling off consecutive wins over Purdue (52-6), Rutgers (42-7) and Northwestern (23-3).
“Initially when you lose your starting quarterback, it’s a tough situation,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “But I think as the weeks have gone on, he (Locke) has gotten more and more confident.
“They’re doing a good job of relying on the run game and mixing the pass in, probably more so than they were doing before. They’ve really started to create an identity around that.”
Wisconsin also has been without running back Chez Mellusi, who left the team last month to fully recover from a series of injuries over the last three seasons. Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker has filled in nicely, rushing for 422 yards and six touchdowns the last three games.
Penn State ranks 10th nationally in rushing defense and sixth in total defense, but the Lions allowed USC to run for 189 yards two weeks ago.
“You don’t know exactly where their defensive linemen are going to be,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “They’re going to move all around. They have really, really good athletes. That’s where the strength of their team is.
“Their ability to create some havoc and make some of those big plays up front, athletically and physically, is the challenge.”
On the flip side, Penn State’s running game had been averaging more than 250 yards per game before its production dropped off the last two games against USC and UCLA.
With the Trojans focused on stopping the run, Drew Allar passed for a career-high 391 yards in the 33-30 overtime win and tight end Tyler Warren set a school record with 17 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown. Allar ranks sixth in pass efficiency and the Lions are 10th in total offense.
“There’s no doubt part of their plan is to give you enough exotic, crazy looks to get guys’ heads spinning,” Badgers defensive coordinator Mike Tressel said, “to get them thinking rather than playing fast.
“Our strength the past couple of weeks is how fast we’ve played and how little we’ve thought. We can’t let them slow us down. They’re certainly trying to cause confusion on the defense.”
Penn State has beaten Wisconsin five straight times since a 45-7 loss in 2011 when Russell Wilson was the Badgers quarterback. The Lions haven’t played a night game in Madison since they posted a 48-7 rout in 2008.
“Nolan (Rucci) was just telling me that the fans are crazy,” Donkoh said. “The place is a super cool place to play. Other guys who played there in 2021 told me it was a pretty cool experience. I’m looking forward to playing there and going against a really good team.”
Rich Scarcella’s pick
Penn State 27, Wisconsin 20
The Nittany Lions understand they have a difficult task against a hot opponent in a frenzied environment. They have more balance on offense and better kicking than the Badgers. Look for Penn State’s defense to force turnovers and help set up a showdown next week with Ohio State.
