MADISON, Wis. – – Penn State’s Beau Pribula said he got a simple message from Drew Allar before taking over for the injured quarterback in the second half on Saturday night.

“Hold,” Pribula remembered hearing.

That’s exactly what he did.

Pribula led touchdown drives in back-to-back series, and Jaylen Reed put No. 3 Penn State ahead for good on a 19-yard interception return as the Nittany Lions overcame Allar’s injury to beat Wisconsin 28-13.

The second-half comeback ensured Penn State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) would have an undefeated record heading into next weekend’s home game with No. 4 Ohio State.

Allar entered the locker room ahead of his teammates in the final minute of the first half after landing slightly awkwardly when he was sacked during Penn State’s final series of the second quarter. Allar returned to the field for the second half with a brace on his left knee, but remained on the sidelines for the rest of the night.

Penn State coach James Franklin had no immediate update on Allar’s situation after the game. Pribula credited Allar for his help during Penn State’s second half.

“He was great all game and supported me and gave me tips when he saw certain things on the field,” Pribula said.

The Nittany Lions trailed 10-7 when Allar left. Penn State also lost defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh to injuries.

Reed and Pribula made sure the Nittany Lions remained undefeated no matter what.

“Just a courageous victory,” Franklin said. “You lose your starting quarterback. You lose your start-d-end. You lose your starting offensive equipment. Next man up. No excuses. I thought it was just a courageous culture victory from my perspective.

Pribula went 11 of 13 for 98 yards through the air, including a 1-yard touchdown to Khalil Dinkins. He also rushed for 28 yards on six carries as Penn State defeated Wisconsin 21-3 in the second half to snap the Badgers’ (5-3, 3-2) three-game winning streak.

“I’ve been super prepared all week, every week, for these kinds of occasions, just in case,” Pribula said. “I had confidence in myself. I just wanted everyone to know that nothing would change. That’s fine.”

But it was Reed who delivered the biggest play of the night.

Wisconsin’s Braedyn Locke threw from his own end zone on third-and-14, sending a pass over the middle that went straight to Reed. The Penn State safety then raced into the right corner of the end zone to give the Nittany Lions a 14-10 lead with 6:29 left in the third quarter.

“(I was) quite surprised,” Reed said. ‘I thought he would have seen me, but he didn’t. I appreciate it.”

Locke made no apologies afterward.

“I’ve got to make a better decision and not throw this one to the other team,” said Locke, who went 22 of 42 for 217 yards.

Locke bounced back on Wisconsin’s next series by throwing a 33-yard pass to C.J. Williams, which set up a 32-yard field goal for Nathanial Vakos, cutting Penn State’s lead to 14-13. Pribula answered by leading Penn State into the end zone on each of the next two possessions.

“He made some plays in the second half that were really big,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said.

Pribula capped a 13-play, 81-yard drive by finding a wide-open Dinkins in the back of the end zone with 10:01 left in the game. After Wisconsin went three-and-out on the next series, Penn State scored again on Kaytron Allen’s 24-yard scamper with 3:10 left.

Before leaving the game, Allar went 14 of 18 for 148 yards in the first half with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Nick Singleton, who made a one-handed grab. Allar also fumbled away a fourth-and-inch snap at the Wisconsin 28 to thwart a scoring opportunity on the Nittany Lions’ opening series.

Wisconsin led 10-7 at halftime thanks to a 50-yard Vakos field goal on the game’s first series and a Tawee Walker 1-yard touchdown run with 1:23 left in the second quarter. Vakos’ field goal followed a 15-yard run by punter Atticus Bertrams on a fake punt.

The takeaway

Penn State: The Nittany Lions showed their depth by dominating the second half without a few key players. Penn State also defeated Wisconsin 173-81, with Allen gaining 86 yards on 11 carries while Walker was limited to 59 yards on 22 attempts.

Wisconsin: The Badgers presented a golden opportunity to change their recent history of struggling against ranked teams. Wisconsin is 2-14 in its last 16 games against Top 25 teams, including an 0-5 mark under second-year coach Luke Fickell.

Survey implications

Penn State wants to stay at No. 3 when the new Top 25 comes out on Sunday.

Next

Penn State hosts Ohio State next Saturday, while Wisconsin visits Iowa on the same day.

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