After a trip to USC and a bye week, the Penn State Nittany Lions will hit the road again on October 26 to face the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
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Year one of Luke Fickell at Wisconsin saw the Badgers undergo a lot of change to their program. After years of being a power run program, Wisconsin moved to more of an up tempo spread offense with new offensive coordinator Phil Longo.
With this came some growing pains.
After defeating Buffalo to start the season, Wisconsin was ranked no. 19 nationally when they were upset by Washington State. They also suffered a three-game losing streak in late October/early November, including getting upset by a bad Indiana team.
When the regular season dust settled, the Badgers were 7-5. They capped their season with a 35-31 loss against no. 13 LSU in an exciting Reliaquist Bowl to finish the season with a record of 7-6.
HEAD COACH PROFILE: Luke Fickell
Salary: $7,625,000 per year
Overall Record: 71-31
Record at Wisconsin: 8-6
Record against Penn State: 0-0
After going 6-6 as interim head coach at Ohio State in 2011, Fickell was retained by Urban Meyer to coach linebackers and be co-defensive coordinator in Columbus. Fickell was then hired as head coach at Cincinnati ahead of the 2017 season and built the Bearcats into the best non-power conference program in the country.
After guiding the Bearcats to an undefeated regular season in 2020 and the College Football Playoff in 2021, Fickell was one of the most sought after coaches in the country. Fickell turned down multiple Power 5 opportunities before becoming the head coach at Wisconsin starting with a victory in the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl against Oklahoma State.
Offensive Coordinator: Phil Longo
- Points Per Game: 23.5
- Yards Per Game: 380.5
- Passing Yards Per Game: 220.1
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 160.5
Defensive Coordinator: Mike Tressel
- Points Allowed Per Game: 20.2
- Yards Allowed Per Game: 343.8
- Passing Allowed Yards Per Game: 208.6
- Rushing Allowed Yards Per Game: 135.2
LAST TIME PENN STATE MET WISCONSIN
Penn State and Wisconsin last met in the 2021 season opener. The Nittany Lions won a defensive thriller in Madison, defeating the Badgers 16-10 with late interceptions by Tiig Brown and Jaquan Brisker helping to seal the game. Penn State has won 5 games in a row against the Badgers, with that streak dating back to 2012.
While Braedyn Locke is the top returning passer for Wisconsin, transfer portal addition Tyler Van Dyke will start at quarterback. Due to injury, he's not the team's top returning rusher, but Chez Mellusi should be one of the best running backs in the Big Ten this season.
One of the team's most notable returners is cornerback Ricardo Hallman. Hallman is arguably the best defensive back in the Big Ten, if not the entire FBS. EDGE rusher Darryl Peterson is one of the best returning pass rushers in the conference and is a player who must be accounted for on every snap.
While it was a defensive, specifically linebacker, heavy portal class for Wisconsin, their most notable addition was quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. The former ACC Freshman of the Year transferred to Wisconsin form Miami and will take over as the starting quarterback for the Badgers.
The team's need for linebackers was evident by Fickell and his staff taking six transfer linebackers, five of which ranked among the team's top 10 rated transfer portal additions. Joseph Griffin Jr. should make an impact at wide receiver this fall.
The most notable transfer portal loss for Wisconsin is one Penn State fans know well - Nolan Rucci. Before transferring to the Nittany Lions, Rucci was in line to potentially compete for a starting job on the Badger offensive line this fall. Following a strong showing in the Reliaquist Bowl, Rucci would have at worst been a rotational piece for Wisconsin.
Another in-conference transfer of note was linebacker Jordan Turner. After recording 61 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and 3.0 sacks last season, Turner transferred to Michigan State. Another notable loss on the defense to the portal was defensive tackle Gio Paez. After playing in all 13 games last season and making 6 starts, he has transferred to LSU.
Skyler Bell had 296 receiving yards and a touchdown last season but has since transferred to Uconn. Quarterback Nick Evers and linebacker T.J. Bollers, a pair of former Penn State recruiting targets, both entered the portal as well.
2024 SIGNING CLASS / TOP SIGNEES
Wisconsin's 2024 recruiting class was a strong one. Fickell and the Badgers signed 22 prospects, ranking 19th nationally. This included signing 11 four-star prospects, an impressive number for Wisconsin.
Four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer was the gem of the class. It was also a big offensive line class for Wisconsin, as you can see above, as well as at running back. Their offensive line class included four-star Pennsylvania native Kevin Heywood who was one of Penn State's top targets last cycle. Two positions you always expect the Badgers to recruit at a high level.
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