Penn State Football: Players of the game against Wisconsin
Penn State football had some impressive individual performances in the win over Wisconsin
Saturday was a good day for Penn State football, as the Nittany Lions bounced back after a big defeat at Michigan and shut down a Wisconsin team that was tabbed as a contender for the College Football Playoff before the season began. Thanks to several strong performances, the Nittany Lions were able to get back on track and pick up a big win that will salvage the season.
Wisconsin scored first, making the Penn State fans that braved the cold, windy conditions very nervous at the start. Fortunately, the Nittany Lions locked down on defense and woke up offensively en route to the 22-10 victory.
The win was a total team effort, but there were certainly a few players who stood out for the Nittany Lions.
Offense – Miles Sanders, Running Back
On a day where the wind was swirling, making the passing game difficult, Penn State leaned heavily on the run game, namely Miles Sanders.
The junior had arguably his best day in a Penn State uniform, rushing 23 times for 159 yards and a touchdown. He also had two receptions out of the backfield. Along with the impressive numbers, he had several runs that reminded fans of Saquon Barkley — from jumping over defenders to leaping over the pile at the goal line to score.
After being bottled up the last few games, particularly last week against Michigan, Sanders needed a game like this to get back on track. Hopefully his performance against the Badgers will jumpstart him for the final two regular season games.
Honorable Mention: WR KJ Hamler, QB Trace McSorley
Defense – DT Robert Windsor
Sure, the Penn State defense allowed Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor to rush for 185 yards, but overall, it was still a very solid day by the group. Outside of Taylor, the Badgers were completely shut down, racking up just 269 total yards.
There are a couple of guys who could be named player of the game for the defense, but defensive tackle Robert Windsor gets the nod.
The Wisconsin native had a huge game against his in-state school. It was the second time the Nittany Lions defeated Wisconsin since Windsor has been in Happy Valley.
Windsor recorded six total tackles, including five solo stops and two sacks. He presented a major problem for the Wisconsin offensive line and spent much of his afternoon disrupting plays in the Badger backfield.
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Penn State’s defensive line as a whole had a monster game. Defensive ends Yet Gross-Matos and Shareef Miller also recorded sacks and worked in tandem with Windsor to give the Badgers trouble.
Honorable Mention: DE Shareef Miller, DE Yet Gross-Matos, LB Micah Parsons