Victory Bell Rings
Fansided

Penn State vs Wisconsin: Prediction roundtable

By Barry Leonard Jr.

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 05: Tommy Stevens #2 of the Penn State Nittany Lions is congratulated after his touchdown run by Trace McSorley #9 and Irvin Charles #11 during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes on November 5, 2016 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Iowa 41-14. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 05: Tommy Stevens #2 of the Penn State Nittany Lions is congratulated after his touchdown run by Trace McSorley #9 and Irvin Charles #11 during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes on November 5, 2016 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Iowa 41-14. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Penn State Football
STATE COLLEGE, PA – OCTOBER 21: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions passes against the Michigan Wolverines on October 21, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Barry Leonard, Co-Site Editor

After last week’s loss, the feelings around the Penn State program are not good. The team needs to win the final three games of the year in order to salvage the season with nine wins. This week won’t be easy, but I am looking for a bounce-back performance from the Nittany Lions.

The offense has suddenly disappeared and looks nothing like the one that was racking up yards and points at ease earlier in the year. The veteran wide receivers have really struggled to catch the ball, so I’m expecting the coaching staff to start relying more on the younger guys.

In particular, I’m looking for a big day from Jahan Dotson. Of course, it’s still unclear who is going to be throwing the ball on Saturday, as McSorley is still working through an injury.

Regardless if it’s McSorley or backup Tommy Stevens running the offense on Saturday, I’d expect to see some new looks, as offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne has to find something to give the offense a spark.

On defense, the Nittany Lions have been improved, but just got gashed by Michigan on the ground last week. Defending the run won’t be any easier this week with Jonathan Taylor in town. The Wisconsin passing game isn’t scary, so the Nittany Lions will likely stack the box in order to stop Taylor.

This one will be ugly and low-scoring, but I do see the Nittany Lions coming out on top thanks to the home crowd.

Penn State 20
Wisconsin 17

Home/Penn State Football