Many things have changed since Penn State embarrassed Wisconsin 35-14 last season. Marquee players have left and the game does not have the national implications it had when both teams boasted top-20 rankings. Nonetheless, the matchup will still be one with major Big Ten ramifications, as the two teams have combined to only lose to Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
""We have great respect for [Penn State], they have excellent talent,"" UW defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz said. ""We can't give them a lot of big plays, which they have the potential for, so it'll be a great challenge.""
The Nittany Lions (4-2 Big Ten, 6-3 overall) are coming off a 12-0 shutout of Purdue in which they completely dominated the Boilermaker offense, allowing a scant 240 yards of offense. While Penn State needed a Minnesota missed extra point to defeat the Golden Gophers, it also took Michigan down to the wire even after its top two quarterbacks left the game due to injury.
With Penn State's tough run defense and freshman running back P.J. Hill possibly not at full strength for Saturday's game, senior quarterback John Stocco will have to be on the top of his game. He will not have to deal with Tamba Hali, who sacked him four times in last season's matchup, but key first-half interceptions like the ones he threw in that game will have to be avoided.
However, the real key to the game will be the PSU rushing attack against the Wisconsin run defense. Last season, senior quarterback Michael Robinson and running back Tony Hunt gouged the Badgers, with both of them topping the 135-yard mark. While Robinson has moved on to the NFL, Hunt is still running over people for the Nittany Lions, averaging nearly 100 yards per game.
""He is a load, playing against him last year, I remember being on my back a few plays at the ends of those runs,"" senior safety Joe Stellmacher said. ""He's like P.J. [Hill]: a big, physical back—you see him in the hole you've gotta strap up and come with it.""
""He's a tough guy, he's a real big running back,"" senior linebacker Mark Zalewski added. ""We're just going to come out and try to face all those challenges and overcome them.""
Getting to the quarterback will be a challenge for the Wisconsin defense, as Penn State has allowed only 16 sacks in nine games. And while quarterback Anthony Morelli may not have the most impressive numbers in the world (55 percent completions, 7 TDs, 6 INTs), his areceivers can make up for his mistakes with speed and big plays.
""He's got receivers that have excellent speed, they have hit some big plays on people,"" Hankwitz said. ""We just have to play smart, play our techniques and play our coverages, if we do that we should have opportunities to make plays.""
For Stellmacher, Zalewski and the other senior Badgers, Saturday will also be a bittersweet game, as it is their last Big Ten home game.
""It's crazy to look back, it's been a quick five years,"" Zalewski said. ""It'll be kind of emotional thing there with my last home Big Ten game but it comes down to just going out and playing like every week and flying around and making plays.""
The game begins at 11 a.m. Saturday at Camp Randall.
