How Red-Hot Wisconsin Is Preparing for Penn State

The Badgers, winners of three straight, see an opportunity in hosting the Nittany Lions in prime-time.

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is shown during the second quarter of their game against Northwestern. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As Penn State prepares for a trip to Wisconsin on Saturday, it will be catching the Badgers while they’re sizzling hot, presenting yet another road challenge for James Franklin’s team.

Wisconsin has won three straight games over Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern by a combined score of 117-16. The team’s only two losses so far this season came to a pair of ranked opponents at the time, Alabama and USC. 

Penn State will have Ohio State on its mind next week for its biggest matchup of the regular season. With that kind of defining matchup on the horizon, it would be easy for the Nittany Lions to fall into a trap game if their focus is on anything but the Badgers. Head coach Luke Fickell has Wisconsin playing its best football right now as it prepares to face another ranked opponent.

Prime-time opportunity

With back-to-back losses to the Crimson Tide and Trojans earlier this season, Wisconsin easily could have rolled over and coasted through the rest of its 2024 schedule. Instead, the Badgers have done the opposite, dominating both sides of the ball against conference opponents in three consecutive games.

That momentum has earned Wisconsin an opportunity to make some more noise. Hosting the No. 3 Nittany Lions on Saturday night, Fickell said he doesn’t want his players paying any attention to where their opponent is ranked, but rather focus on the opportunity before them. 

“It’s a night game, it’s later in the day, we know there’s going [to be] an environment that’s going to be really exciting and fun,” Fickell said. “That’s what we need to look at. Not, ‘Hey, what are these guys ranked? What do people think?’”

After their slow start, a prime-time win against a deep and talented Penn State squad could vault the Badgers back into the national spotlight. Wisconsin has built its 2024 identity around playing disciplined football (four penalties per game, eighth-best in FBS), running the ball (194 yards per game) and limiting opponents’ passing game (155.9 yards allowed per game).

Fickell didn’t have a distinct reason for his team’s recent success, other than the way it has responded to adversity lately.

“There's going to be shots on both sides, there are going to be plays made on both sides, and I think in the first few weeks we had a tough time handling some of those things,” Fickell said. “In that way, sometimes you don't take advantage of some of the opportunities that are out there. And the last few [games]) in particular, we've done a really good job of finding ways to take advantage of the opportunities when they arise.”

Penn State is focused on remaining unbeaten, now looking for seven straight wins to open the 2024 season. The Badgers, though, are set on what they can make of this Week 9 opportunity.

“This is a big game because we’ve had an opportunity to make it a big game,” Fickell said. “The way our guys have played the last few weeks makes it a bigger game. Nothing else matters.”

RELATED: James Franklin offers a glimpse into his Coaches Poll voting process

Prepping for Penn State’s versatility 

One of the biggest challenges for Wisconsin, and any other opponent facing Penn State, is preparing for an elite level of versatility on both sides of the ball. The Nittany Lions have established primary identities: running the ball offensively and stopping the run defensively. But this season, they’re especially tough to game-plan for because of the various weapons and looks they can throw at a team.

Penn State’s defensive front seven, for example, is an area that Fickell has had his hands full preparing to face.

“[Against Northwestern last week] you knew where the guys were going to be. They were going to be big, they were going to be physical, they were going to be strong,” Fickell said. “This week, it's a little bit different in the sense that you don't know exactly where they're going to be. They're going to move all around, they've got really, really good athletes.”

The same sentiment goes for Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s unit. The varying formations and players Penn State’s offense consistently uses — like having Tyler Warren snap the ball before catching a touchdown pass — are difficult to confront. There’s no straightforward answer to slowing the Nittany Lions.

“There’s no doubt part of their plan is to give enough exotic, crazy looks to get guys’ heads spinning, to get them thinking rather than playing fast,” Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel said. “And our strength the last couple weeks has been how fast we’ve played and how little we’ve thought.”

Both Fickell and Tressel mentioned one key term for their matchup against Penn State: adjustments. The same way the Nittany Lions have in their key wins over West Virginia, Illinois and USC, they’re going to use their versatility and creativity against Wisconsin. Playing in their first home game since Oct. 5, the Badgers could make or break the result with their in-game adjustments.

“We can’t let it slow us down,” Tressel said. “And that’s the challenge. They’re certainly trying to cause confusion.”

Penn State will face Wisconsin on Saturday, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.

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Daniel Mader, a May 2024 graduate of Penn State, is an Editorial Intern with The Sporting News. As a student journalist with The Daily Collegian, he served as a sports editor and covered Nittany Lions women’s basketball, men’s volleyball and more. He has also covered Penn State football for NBC Sports and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with additional work in the Centre Daily Times, Lancaster Online and more. Follow him on X @DanielMader_    or Instagram @dmadersports.