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Upon Further Review: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Penn State
Deflating.
There are plenty of words to describe the Wisconsin Badgers' 38-31 loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten championship game, but that one above might be the best. Maybe devastating would be more apt.
At one point, it looked like Wisconsin was on its way to a rout -- holding a 21-point lead in the first half -- and perhaps a playoff-statement type of game.
In the end, the Badgers were left dumbstruck, wondering how they blew such a big lead despite having one of the best defenses in the nation.
A recap of Saturday's game:
CLASS LESSONS
-- Bart Houston got the nod at quarterback and played the entire game. He completed 16 of 21 passes, but Wisconsin concentrated on the short pass game when Houston threw as he had just 174 yards with a long pass of 26 (which came on a shovel pass to Corey Clement).
-- Houston's best throw was a dart he threw to Jazz Peavy on a third-and-12 in the first quarter which got Wisconsin to the Penn State 3 where the Badgers eventually punched it in the end zone on an Austin Ramesh carry. But his worst toss was costly and might have been a game-decider. In the third quarter with the score tied at 28, Houston missed an open Troy Fumagalli. It would have been an easy touchdown as the Penn State defender originally covering Fumagalli went into the end zone to cover a different Wisconsin receiver. Instead, the Badgers would settle for a 23-yard field goal. Penn State would get a touchdown on its next possession and Wisconsin would be chasing (unsuccessfully) the rest of the way.
-- Wisconsin was really committed to throwing short. Twice in the second half when facing third-and-longs, the Badgers threw short of the sticks and hoped the receiver could run for a first. Both times that strategy failed. Rob Wheelwright, who has made a few downfield catches in his time, was targeted only once and had no catches.
-- While Saquon Barkley had several big runs, he finished with a modest 4.4-yard rushing average and Penn State averaged 1.8 yards per carry overall (hurt in large part by a 19-yard loss on a bad snap).
-- Where Penn State really burned Wisconsin was with the deep pass. At times it seemed like quarterback Trace McSorley was just heaving the ball downfield and hoping his receivers would make plays -- which they consistently did. On Penn State's first touchdown, Lubern Figaro was in position in the end zone, but tight end Mike Gesicki made a good play going up and over Figaro for the TD grab. The second touchdown, which capped a 90-yard drive at the end of the first half, Figaro missed a tackle and with no safety help Saeed Blacknall easily raced 40 yards for the score. Blackwell again got an easy touchdown in the third quarter when Natrell Jamerson provided poor coverage and D'Cota Dixon overran the receiver, allowing Blacknall to spin away for a 70-yard TD. Penn State's go-ahead score occurred when McSorley lofted one to the end zone where Barkley, running a wheel route and past linebacker T.J. Watt, ran to the ball for the TD catch with Leo Musso late to get over. Quite simply, if you couldn't tell, Wisconsin's pass defense was a disaster -- and we only outlined the scoring plays here.
-- Not to pile on with just how bad the defense played, but Wisconsin had just one pass broken up and it was by linebacker Vince Biegel in the second quarter. And even that play could have ended better as D'Cota Dixon looked like he might have had an interception (and perhaps even a pick-six) if Biegel hadn't tipped the pass.
-- Wisconsin went big on offense for much of the game, often using three tight ends, which perhaps accounted for the Badgers rushing for 249 yards (4.9 average). UW dominated the trenches in the first half, with the run game producing as good as it had all season.
-- However, when Wisconsin needed just one yard -- one -- it couldn't get it. With the game on the line and facing a fourth-and-1 and 1:04 remaining, the Badgers gave the ball to Clement. There appeared to be a hole on the right side, enough for Clement to get just one yard if not much more, but Austin Ramesh missed a block on Grant Haley, who made the tackle to stop Clement short.
-- The Badgers got good defensive pressure early and in fact early on we had the strange stat of Penn State having attempted two passes and Wisconsin with three quarterback hurries. But Penn State improved its protection and the Badgers ended up with only one more QB hurry in the game, along with one sack and four tackles for loss. The Badgers did use the blitz, often with a defensive back, to cause some disruption, but the Nittany Lions caught on. One problem with blitzing is it puts more pressure on the players left in coverage, and we saw how that worked out, with Penn State especially picking on Wisconsin's nickel backs.
DULY NOTED
-- Both teams had five possessions in the second half. Wisconsin had a field goal, missed field-goal attempt, two punts and turnover on downs. Penn State had three touchdowns, a field goal and turnover on downs to end the game.
-- Wisconsin was 5 of 6 for 70 yards when passing on first down. Penn State was 9 of 12 for 251 yards. The Nittany Lions' first three touchdown passes all came on first-down plays.
-- Penn State had two 100-yard receivers. The Badgers hadn't allowed that since Jan, 1, 2014 vs. South Carolina. UW hasn't done it since Jan. 2, 2012.
-- Penn State's 435 yards of total offense were the most allowed by Wisconsin this season. The previous high was 411 vs. Ohio State, which is the only other time the Badgers have given up 400+ yards.
-- Leon Jacobs being called for roughing the passer was a big call and turned a three-and-out into, eventually, another Penn State scoring drive (a field goal which made it 38-31). Was it a penalty? It didn't seem like it, but then again don't drive the quarterback into the ground and give the ref a reason to throw the flag. Earlier in the game, Wisconsin was hurt by the decision to replay an obvious Penn State catch -- the refs blowing the whistle after a snap in which the Badgers clearly had a run to Barkley sniffed out. Instead of what looked to be a loss of yards, the play was stopped, replay (of course) upheld the call and Penn State would tie the game a few plays later. No one here is blaming the refs for this loss, but you hate to see poor decisions (in this case the replay) affect things.
-- Entering Saturday's game, under Paul Chryst Wisconsin had been 18-1 when leading at the half and 17-1 when leading after the third quarter.
-- Each of Wisconsin's last five losses, dating back to last season, have been by seven or fewer points.
WHAT IT MEANT
Shot at the playoff? Gone. Another Rose Bowl appearance? Gone. Laying claim to best Wisconsin defense ever? Likely gone, too. The Badgers should still be in a good bowl game and did win 10 games, which most fans would have loved before the season started, but this had to be a letdown with how the season (and most of the first half) went.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Two fumbles -- both recovered by Wisconsin -- tainted the game for Corey Clement, but the senior rushed for 164 yards (see: Badgers all-time 100-yard rushers database) on 21 carries, a 7.8 yard average, with a touchdown on a 67-yard breakaway run as the Badgers dominated on the ground pretty much throughout the contest, with a couple of notable exceptions. The 164 yards tied his career high, done twice before including this year against Ohio State.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME
It might seem strange to mention a defensive player -- but then again pretty much every player was flawed in this game -- however we want to mention linebacker Ryan Connelly. An afterthought at the beginning of the season, Connelly has had a number of big moments and that continued against Penn State. Connelly, who tied for the team lead in tackles with eight, returned a fumble for a touchdown and on the Nittany Lions' final scoring drive had the tackle on a third-and-4 pass, leaving Penn State one-yard short, settling for a field goal and at least giving Wisconsin a chance to tie the game.
THAT MOMENT
On Wisconsin's opening drive of the third quarter, the Badgers had third-and-3 from the Penn State 27. Bradrick Shaw, who was in the game because Clement had fumbled two plays earlier, was dropped for a 3-yard loss. The negative play pushed a 45-yard field-goal attempt to a 48 for kicker Andrew Endicott, whose longest make of the season was from, 46 yards. Endicott's kick went wide right. Instead of Wisconsin going up by three scores (not that Endicott would have made a kick from 43-45 but the chances certainly were higher), it turned into a one-score game as Penn State struck for a 70-yard touchdown on the next play. The missed field-goal attempt -- a direct result of that loss of 3 -- turned the entire game around.
THIS NUMBER
12.4 -- yards per pass attempt for Penn State. Wisconsin hadn't allowed 10 or more yards per pass attempt in two years. The previous high this year was 9.0 vs. Georgia State and in 2015, Alabama had 9.1.
THEY SAID IT
"We just missed Fum at the goal line, and they bring pressure and able to give them a chance to get the ball out. And we missed on that, and that changes the game. And we missed a field goal. And it's football. And you gotta make plays. And we made some, but not enough." -- Chryst
"As far as the last play goes, it's just all about who wanted it more. And it's one yard. Either got it or didn't. But I'm pretty sure that everybody on the field laid it out on the line for that last play." -- Running back Corey Clement
"Obviously we didn't take care of our business today, but that doesn't take away from the great season we had, the type of journey, the ups and downs we've had, the players who stepped up. ... But this one's going to sting for a while. It's going to take a while to get the sour taste out of your mouth. But it starts back to working back hard, and we'll figure out where we are in the bowl game. And our preparation starts there, from getting that bad taste out of our mouth." -- Linebacker Vince Biegel
WHAT’S NEXT
Wisconsin (10-3) awaits its bowl fate, which will be announced later Sunday. It is expected that the Badgers will be in the Cotton Bowl against MAC champions 13-0 Western Michigan.
Dave Heller is the author of the upcoming book Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow as well as Facing Ted Williams Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns
