The Wisconsin football team looks to rebound this Saturday on the road as it takes on Penn State (1-2 Big Ten, 4-2 overall) at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Penn.
Last Saturday, the Badgers (2-1, 5-1) were defeated 31-26 at the hands of Illinois in Champaign, Ill., despite career days from senior quarterback Tyler Donovan and junior tight end Travis Beckum. Donovan racked up career highs with 27 completions for 392 yards, while Beckum notched 11 receptions for 160 yards. Sophomore tight end Garrett Graham pitched in with six catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.
However, the offense was not enough, as the Fighting Illini steamrolled the UW defense for 289 yards rushing at an average of 6.6 yards per carry. Illinois tailback Rashard Mendenhall tallied 160 yards on just 19 carries for two touchdowns. Eddie McGee's 5-yard touchdown scamper put the Illini up 31-19 with just 5:28 remaining in the game.
UW head coach Bret Bielema discussed the week-to-week progression of the defense in his weekly news conference.
Until you do something for the first time, you know, when you learn how to ride a bike, you fall down a few times and skin your knee,"" Bielema said. ""So it's not a process we like going through, but it's something we have to build ourselves up to and keep moving forward. You can't let anything from last week affect this week's game, but we have to continue to make steps forward.""
This week, the No. 15/19 Badgers will face a tough test at Penn State. Last season, UW grinded out a 13-3 win over the Nittany Lions at Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers allowed just 36 yards rushing, and UW tailback P.J. Hill, then a freshman, plowed through the PSU defense for 148 yards.
This season, the Badgers enter a raucous atmosphere for Homecoming weekend in Beaver Stadium, which seats over 107,000 fans. The Badgers were defeated 35-14 in 2005 at the venue.
""So we've been in big crowds and big environments, and they played several games, but this is going into a hostile environment,"" Bielema said. ""And sometimes teams actually take on a better demeanor almost when they're on the road because they know they're all in it together.""
The Nittany Lions enter this week's contest coming off a 27-7 victory over Iowa. Tailback Rodney Kinlaw rushed for a career-high 168 yards against a stingy Iowa defense. On the season, Penn State has played every opponent tough, with its only losses coming back-to-back on the road by seven points or less.
The defense is the strength of the Lions, giving up an average of just 13.67 points per contest, good for sixth in the nation. They also rank second in the conference in rushing defense, passing defense and quarterback sacks. Penn State is fifth in the nation in total defense, surrendering just over 243 yards per game.
Bielema knows the Badgers will have to match the physicality of Penn State to notch a conference road win this weekend.
""The bottom line on Saturday: who's able to play, play fast, play clean, and play a good football game that doesn't involve turning the ball over on offense,"" Bielema said. ""It involves turning the ball [over] or getting some takeaways defensively will probably win the football game.
