5 things that stood out from Wisconsin's loss to Penn State

Wisconsin had a chance to pull of the upset, but they came up short.

Wisconsin place kicker Nathanial Vakos (90) celebrates his 50-yard field goal during the first quarter of their game against Penn State Saturday, October 26, 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Wisconsin kept up with Penn State for the better part of three quarters, but the No. 3 ranked Nittany Lions flexed their muscles and pulled away in the end 28-13. There was plenty to take away from the Badgers' performance.

Is Braedyn Locke the longterm answer at QB?

During Wisconsin's three-game winning streak, Locke proved that he is more than capable of being a quarterback in the Big Ten. But, tonight looked like a lot of the big Badgers game in recent years. Locke finished the night 22 of 42 for 217 yards and he had an interception for the fifth straight game. He simply looked more like a game manager. If the Badgers want to take the next step as a program they need to have better play from the quarterback position.

Atticus Bertrams is a weapon

If there was any positive to take away from Wisconsin's performance against Penn State, it was that punter Atticus Bertrams proved again that he is a weapon. It wasn't just the first down he picked up on a fake punt, he was incredibly valuable when it came to flipping the field for the Badgers. He ended his night with five punts for 257 total yards, coming out to a remarkable 51.4 yards per punt.

ATTICUS BERTRAMS.

THE IMPROMPTU FAKE PUNT FOR WISCONSIN.

BIG TEN PUNTERS CAN DO IT ALL! pic.twitter.com/xdAfq4CxT9

— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) October 26, 2024

Luke Fickell's moves to 0-5 against ranked opponents

Fickell's most meaningful win since becoming head coach of the Badgers was arguably last season's rivalry victory on the road against Minnesota, but the Gophers were 5-6 heading into that game. Tonight was an opportunity for him to pick up his first marquee win. He is now 0-5 against ranked opponents, but he will get another chance next month against current No. 1 Oregon.

Running game struggles

When veteran running back Chez Mellusi stepped away from the team for health reasons earlier this season, there were a lot of questions about Wisconsin's running game. Tawee Walker had three straight games with more than 90 rushing yards, but he was shut down tonight against Penn State. He finished with 22 carries for 59 yards and the Badgers had nothing going in the run game. Wisconsin football will always be at its best with a strong running game, and they still have a long way to becoming dominant in that area.

Beaten by backup QB Beau Pribula

Penn State's starting quarterback Drew Allar did not play in the second half. Beau Pribula had less than 250 played snaps in his career, but he looked like a seasoned veteran in the second half tonight. He was 11 of 13 for 98 yards and one passing touchdown while adding six carries for 28 yards on the ground. Wisconsin's defense was expected to be a strength of this team, but they let a backup quarterback come in and do whatever he wanted for 30 minutes of football.