Three Defining Moments: Penn State opens season with win over Wisconsin

Down on the field with injuries repeatedly throughout Penn State's opener at Wisconsin, Jaquan Brisker had the last laugh.

With the Badgers facing fourth-and-goal, down six, Brisker grabbed a Graham Mertz pass intended for Jake Ferguson out of the air to protect a 16-10 win for the Nittany Lions. His former Lackawanna teammate, Ji'Ayir Brown, came down with another pick on the final play of the game to seal the win.

That was one moment that defined the game the Nittany Lions. Here are three more:

After what can only be described as an abysmal first half performance on offense, the Nittany Lions finally got things going.

Sean Clifford found a wide open Jahan Dotson early in the third quarter for a 49-yard touchdown pass, giving us a taste of the big-play offensive attack the Nittany Lions want to unleash under new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.

From there, Penn State's offense encountered few problems.

The Nittany Lions accumulated 297 yards in the second half after notching only one first down in the first 30 minutes, giving their playmakers opportunities to make moves in space rather than looking to make headway in the middle of the field as they did for much of the first half without success.

A Wisconsin touchdown seemed like a sure thing.

Up against a Wisconsin running game that methodically churned out yardage with little difficulty all game, the Nittany Lions were backed up inside their own five yard line defending a six-point lead.

But Mertz, who had trouble with exchanges all game, fumbled another snap. The Nittany Lions couldn't pounce on the loose ball, but the play resulted in a six-yard loss for the Badgers.

That got the offense off schedule, and Mertz threw a desperation fourth-down pass straight to Brisker, who sealed the game for the Nittany Lions.

Arnold Ebiketie lived up to the hype — and more — for the Nittany Lions in this game.

The Temple transfer defensive end was arguably the most effective Penn State defender in this game, getting some pressure on Mertz at all stages. He was also impactful in the run game as the Badgers leaned on running back Chez Mellusi heavily.

But his most impactful play came on special teams.

With Wisconsin lining up for a short field goal attempt early in the second quarter after Penn State had made one of a few crucial red-zone stands in the first half, Ebiketie got his hand on the kick.

The block effectively took three points off the board in a game of very fine margins, and helped the Nittany Lions get into halftime even at 0-0 despite a very poor first-half showing from its offense.

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