STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The first play from scrimmage summed up the entire afternoon for the Wisconsin Badger football team, as sophomore running back P.J. Hill fumbled the ball away, setting up Penn State with an easy touchdown to take a lead they would not relinquish.
It wasn't a good day to start off with and it got worse as the day got on,"" head coach Bret Bielema said.
The Badgers (2-2 Big Ten, 5-2 overall) never really competed with Penn State (2-2, 5-2) during their 38-7 loss, as the Nittany Lions were able to move the ball offensively while applying incredible pressure defensively. PSU rushed for a 221 yards, and passed for another 216, signaling the third straight week in which the UW defense has given up over 400 total yards to the opposition.
PSU used senior quarterback Anthony Morelli in a variety of ways. The Nittany Lions ran a lot of play-action passes and rollouts or bootlegs to free up Morelli and allow him ample time to throw the ball down field.
Sophomore defensive back Kim Royston had few answers for the recent defensive meltdown, which gave up 11 plays of 17 or more yards to the Nittany Lions.
""We have seen [play-action and rollouts] all week in practice,"" Royston said. ""We just have to play better.""
Royston was not the only Badger left dumbfounded against Penn State. Junior cornerback Allen Langford was pulled from the game in the third quarter after a pass interference penalty in the end zone gave the Nittany Lions a first and goal at the one-yard line. Langford would only return in the nickel package, and was replaced by freshman Aaron Henry for the remainder of the game.
""The thing that I got frustrated about on that one [play] was that it was pass interference all the way,"" Bielema said. ""Once you see that, you get a little over concerned.""
The pass interference penalty was not the only mistake by the Badger defense, as Langford bit hard on a post-corner route in the second quarter, which resulted in a 29-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Anthony Morelli to junior wide receiver Deon Butler.
Butler had a career day, as he caught seven passes for 93 yards and the 29-yard touchdown, which was the 12th of his career. With that touchdown catch, Butler moved into sixth place on Penn State's all-time touchdown receptions list.
But the Nittany Lions were also able to run the ball effectively, as senior tailback Rodney Kinlaw racked up 115 yards and a touchdown, while freshman running back Evan Royster ran for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Royster's touchdown run was the epitome of poor defense, as Penn State went for a fourth and one at Wisconsin's 19-yard line, only to have Royster bust up the middle and scamper to the endzone.
However, Wisconsin's offense was having its own troubles, as senior quarterback Tyler Donovan was sacked five times and knocked down countless more. Penn State was able to bring pressure whenever they wanted, and it seemed that the Badgers had no response for such schemes and blitz packages.
The pressure forced Donovan to scramble, and hurry his throws. Saturday was the second straight game in which Donovan threw two interceptions, and they proved costly as the Nittany Lions scored touchdowns off of two of the Badgers' three turnovers.
Penn State is known as ""Linebacker U"" and it showed Saturday, as both junior linebacker Sean Lee and senior linebacker Dan Connor registered 12 total tackles along with a sack apiece.
""The biggest thing for us is finding a way to get back to our style and getting back on the right track,"" Donovan said. ""There is no doubt in my mind that with good preparation this week that we will be able to do that.
