Unfortunate Loss. Penn State Postgame 9/26/26

Penn State takes a rough home loss to Wisconsin, with Rocco Becht looking subpar at best. Becht went 12/29 for 114 yards and an interception, with a rushing touchdown, and the Nittany Lions folded against their first real opponent in their first Big 10 game. Wisconsin trailed the entire game until they scored a final-minute touchdown to win 24-20. Penn State proved today that James Franklin may not have been the problem all along.

Going into the 4th, Penn State held a 20-10 lead over a Wisconsin team that went 4-8 last

season and had already been blown out by Notre Dame. This was expected to be a win, but instead they gave up 14 unanswered in the final 5 minutes of the game, and Colton Joseph and the Badgers came out with the win.

Yes, the defense gave up 14 late in the 4th, but the major concerns come on the offensive side of the ball. Less than 120 passing yards from Rocco today, and along with that, their leading rusher, James Peoples, only had 67 yards. The offense gained no real momentum, and you can’t help but wonder if this team is in for another rough year in Big 10 play.

Wisconsin did not have a stellar day offensively either, but Colton Joseph hit another gear in the 4th quarter. Joseph threw interceptions in the 2nd, 3rd, and at the beginning of the 4th, but the final two drives of the game were when he made it count tonight. With the Badgers down 20-10, Colton led a 10-play, 75-yard drive down the field in 3 and a half minutes to cut the lead to 7, finding Eugene Hilton Jr. in the endzone with 3:30 to go. Wisconsin’s defense then forced Penn State to punt, allowing them a chance to score with less than two minutes on the clock. Colton Joseph delivered the pass of the night, 72 yards downfield to give the Badgers the lead and the win with 1:15 to go, showing that Penn State has a lot of work to do if they want to compete in the conference.

Looking ahead at the next few games, they take on a Northwestern team that is 2-1 with their only loss coming on Friday to Indiana, and they also have a much better resume than the Nittany Lions, with a win over one of the top FCS teams in South Dakota State, and a 35-point win over Coach Prime’s Colorado Buffaloes. This Northwestern team will be hungry and ready to win coming off a loss, so Matt Campbell has to make sure his guys know not to underestimate the Wildcats’ talent level.

After next week, they then have to face back-to-back ranked opponents in Michigan and USC. The one advantage for Penn State is that they play the Trojans in Happy Valley, but they won’t be anywhere near as lucky against the Wolverines. That game will be played at the Big House in primetime.

If there is one thing tonight showed us, it is that Matt Campbell and Rocco Becht may not be able to lead this team to the postseason like many hoped, especially with the rocky schedule ahead.

Photo Creds: Yahoo Sports