Penn State head coach Matt Campbell has done a great job navigating this season so far. There were questions about whether all of his Iowa State transfers would be able to handle life in the Big Ten, and although they haven’t played anyone in the conference just yet, the answer has been a resounding yes to this point.
But now the Nittany Lions will play their first game in the conference this season when they face Wisconsin on Saturday. The Big Ten defenses are known to be tougher than most conferences, and especially better than the competition Penn State has played so far, so this will be the first real test for Campbell and his team.
Let’s look at how the Nittany Lions offense stacks up against the Badgers defense.
Third-down efficiency
Penn State offense: 42.1%
Wisconsin defense: 30.3%
Penn State was pretty good on third downs in the first two games of the season, converting them at a 50% rate. However, they took a step back against Buffalo and only converted 20%.
Wisconsin is stingy on third downs, even stifling Notre Dame in those situations, a team they lost to 41-13. This game between the Nittany Lions and Badgers will most likely be a lot closer than the games Penn State has played to this point, so third downs will be critical.
Will Wisconsin continue to hold the line, or will Penn State return to its strong third-down play?
Sacks/sacks allowed
Penn State offense: 3 sacks
Wisconsin defense: 3 sacks
The line of scrimmage seems to be an area where Penn State could have an edge. The Blue and White haven’t given up many sacks this season, and the Badgers haven’t gotten many on defense, so quarterback Rocco Becht should have time to process the field and make the correct reads.
Limiting negative plays and not turning the ball over will be major keys to winning the game, so hopefully these trends continue for both teams. Another excellent performance from Penn State’s offense line will have people believing the unit is among the best in the conference and they’re able to compete with anyone.
Completion percentage
Penn State offense: 70%
Wisconsin defense: 64%
The Badgers haven’t done a great job of limiting completions this season, so Becht should be able to display his accuracy this week. The impressive part is that he hasn’t done a ton of dunking and dunking — he has been bombing the ball down the field.
That might not be the case this week but expect offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser to scheme up some easy completions to keep the chains moving and the offense on the field. Even if the Nittany Lions are forced to press and push the ball down the field, the wide receivers have proven that they can go up and make plays when needed.
Penn State hasn’t played a team as good as Wisconsin yet, but the Badgers have played an excellent team already. They got beat 41-13 in the opening game of the season by Notre Dame, and maybe the Blue and White aren’t quite on that level, but they’re closer than the other teams Wisconsin has played so far. Let’s see what gives for each of these teams on Saturday.
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State set to face best defense so far against Wisconsin
