The Wisconsin Badgers got a big win on Saturday, beating the No. 13 Penn State Nittany Lions on the road, thanks to a pair of late fourth-quarter touchdowns and a defensive stand to seal the game.
With the win, Wisconsin improved to 3-1 on the season and was the first team out of the AP Top 25 in the latest polls. As the fourth quarter was winding down, the Badgers looked to be heading to their second loss of the season after an untimely third interception from Colton Joseph.
But they conjured up two
long touchdown drives, while the defense got stop after stop. Suddenly, the Badgers are knocking on the doorstep of being ranked for the first time since 2023.
Before we turn the page, here are the game notes from Saturday, courtesy of UW Communications.
GAME NOTES
Team Notes
1. Wisconsin captains were LB Mason Posa, LB Cooper Catalano, LB Aaron Witt and OL Kevin Heywood
2. Wisconsin has won three straight games for the first time since 2024.
3. 15+ first downs in all 4 games this season. Wisconsin had 15+ first downs in 3 games in 2025.
4. Wisconsin scored its first road win since a 23-3 win at Northwestern on Oct. 19, 2024. It was UW’s first road win over a ranked team since a 30-13 win over No. 25 Purdue on Oct. 23, 2021. The win was UW’s highest-ranked win on the road since a 38-17 triumph at No. 9 Minnesota on Nov. 30, 2019.
5. Wisconsin has won 3 of its last 4 games against ranked opponents, dating back to last season. The last time UW won 3 of 4 games against ranked teams was 2019.
6. Entering the game, Big Ten teams were 4-25 on the road against ranked foes since the start of 2025. Wisconsin has now played 5 road games against ranked teams since the start of 2025. Only LSU has played more.
7. Wisconsin is the first unranked team to beat a ranked Penn State team in Happy Valley since Illinois did so on Oct. 23, 2021. When ranked, Penn State had posted a 23-5 record at home since that loss, with the Nittany Lions’ only 5 losses coming to top-10 teams during that stretch.
8. The Badgers are the first unranked Big Ten team to win on the road against a ranked opponent since Michigan won at No. 2 Ohio State on Nov. 30, 2024. Ranked Big Ten teams had been 20-0 entering this weekend when hosting an unranked Big Ten opponent.
9. UW’s 17-point comeback is its biggest since Oct. 28, 2006, when it overcame a 21-3 deficit at home to Illinois (18 points) before winning 30-24.
10. UW’s 17-point comeback marks its largest on the road since Oct. 13, 2001, when it overcame a 17-0 deficit at Ohio State for a 20-17 victory.
11. The Badgers’ overcame 20-10 deficit with under four minutes to go, scoring touchdowns with 3:31 left and 1:13 left in the game, for its first fourth-quarter comeback win since Aug. 30, 2024, against Western Michigan. They trailed 14-13 with 10:35 remaining, then won 28-14 against WMU.
12. Wisconsin’s victory marked its first in Happy Valley since a 30-23 victory in 2003, stopping a four-game losing streak on the road in the series.
13. The Badgers outgained the Nittany Lions, 355-248.
14. UW held its second consecutive opponent under 250 yards of total offense, doing so for the first time since the first two games of 2025 against Miami (OH) and Middle Tennessee State.
15. UW’s touchdown drives covered 75 yards, 75 yards and 85 yards.
Individual Notes
1. QB Colton Joseph posted a rushing score for the second straight game.
2. Joseph has now accounted for a touchdown in 23 straight games, dating back to his time at Old Dominion.
3. DL Charles Perkins grabbed a second-half INT, his first interception as a Badger. The INT was the first for a Badger defensive lineman since 2018 (Olive Sagapolu vs. Illinois, Oct. 20, 2018).
4. K Gavin Lahm converted from 34 yards and stayed perfect on the season. He holds a 8-8 clip this fall.
5. TE Jacob Harris scored a 72-yard touchdown for the go-ahead score, the longest reception of his career, besting a 38-catch at Bowling Green and a 32-yard grab as a Badger. It was also his first career 100-yard receiving game (5 catches-105 yards).
