MADISON, Wis. – Playing without quarterback Drew Allar, Penn State rallied from a halftime deficit to beat Wisconsin 28-13 Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 76,403 at Camp Randall Stadium.
The No. 3 Nittany Lions (4-0 Big Ten, 7-0) set up a high noon showdown against No. 4 Ohio State (3-1, 6-1) next Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
After Allar sustained a left knee injury likely on a sack in the second quarter, Beau Pribula came off the bench and completed 11-of-13 passes for 98 yards and one touchdown in the second half.
With Penn State leading the Badgers 14-13, Pribula directed an 81-yard drive and capped it with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Dinkins. He went 5-for-5 for 47 yards and ran twice for 17 yards.
On the Lions’ next series, Kaytron Allen took a direct snap and sprinted 24 yards down the left sideline for a clinching touchdown with three minutes left.
Allar completed 14-of-18 passes for 1412 yards and one touchdown before he left the game. He was on the sideline in the second half with a towel around his head. He initially wore a brace but later took it off.
With Wisconsin leading 10-7, Penn State safety Jaylen Reed ignited the comeback with a 19-yard interception return for a touchdown midway through the third quarter.
The Lions limited the Badgers (3-2, 5-3) to 298 total yards and posted their sixth straight victory over Wisconsin since a 2011 loss here.
With Allar and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton out with injuries, Jaylen Reed gave Penn State a much-needed lift. He intercepted Braedyn Locke’s pass 19 yards on third-and-14 from the Wisconsin 8. Defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon pressured Locke on the play.
Wisconsin responded behind Locke, who completed back-to-back passes for 11 and 33 yards. That set up Nathaniel Vakos’ 32-yard field goal, which cut the Lions’ lead to 14-13.
Penn State trailed at the half for the second straight game.
Wisconsin drove 73 yards and took a 10-7 lead on Tawee Walker’s 1-yard touchdown run with 1:23 left in the second quarter. Locke started 6-for-16 but he went 3-for-4 for 49 yards on the TD drive.
The Lions moved the football throughout the first half, but they continued to have poor starting field position. Their four possessions began from their 18, 10, 8, 20 and 25.
They scored once on Nick Singleton’s one-handed 6-yard TD grab early in the second quarter, which gave Penn State a 7-3 lead.
They stopped themselves on their first series, Julian Fleming dropping a pass near the Wisconsin 10 and Allar fumbling on a fourth-and-1 sneak at the Badgers’ 28.
Wisconsin used a fake punt that went for 15 yards to set up its first score, a 50-yard field goal by Vakos on its first series.
Right before halftime, Allar walked to the locker room with a slight limp. He did not play in the second half, leaving the offense to Pribula, who delivered the win.
