Grades: Wisconsin
QUARTERBACKS: Following the worst game of his career, Trace McSorley bounced back with a pretty good performance, completing 19 of 25 attempts for 160 yards and one touchdown. Although he didn’t contribute much in the rushing games (11 carries, 9 yards) his 143 quarterback rating was one of the highest he’s had all season.
GRADE: B+
RUNNING BACKS: It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Miles Sanders, but today was one of the best games of his career, finishing with 159 yards rushing and one touchdown. He's always had excellent vision and that was once again on display against the Badgers.
GRADE: B
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: No one had a big performance Saturday, but seven receivers got in on the act. KJ Hamler and DeAndre Thompkins led the way with five receptions each, while Thompkins had a nice touchdown early in the game. Most notably, they had just two drops, one by Thompkins, one by Pat Freiermuth. They also did a better job creating space this week. The only real negative was the lack of explosive plays.
GRADE: B
OFFENSIVE LINE: McSorley was sacked three times, but he did have ample time to read the field throughout the majority of the game. They also paved some nice rushing lanes.
GRADE: B
DEFENSIVE LINE: Penn State totaled five sacks on the afternoon, which is the most Wisconsin has allowed all season. Jonathan Taylor did average 9.3 yards per carry, but when you remove the long rush in the beginning of the game, the Lions held him under his yards per carry average (6.0). The starting front four has really stepped it up in recent weeks.
GRADE: A-
LINEBACKERS: Freshman Micah Parsons once again led the team in tackles with seven. With just two games remaining against Rutgers and Maryland, don’t be surprised if Koa Farmer continues to start. With that said, it’s become clear that Parsons deserves the majority of playing time. Cam Brown was also solid in pass coverage.
GRADE: B-
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Amani Oruwariye picked off his third pass of the season and Nick Scott added one late. Overall, the entire unit did a very good job containing Wisconsin’s receivers. Sure, Jack Coan struggled, but the Badgers had just 19 yards passing at the start of the fourth quarter. They finished with just 60 yards through the air.
GRADE: A
SPECIAL TEAMS: Jake Pinegar only hit three of his five attempts on the day, but two of his makes were from beyond 40 yards. The Lions also converted a fake punt at their own 36-yard line in the third quarter.
GRADE: C+
COACHES: James Franklin and his staff have struggled the week after losses, so give them credit for having the team prepared and focused this week. There's always going to be questionable calls and the Lion package is getting stale, to say the least, but for the most part, it was solid day for the staff.
GRADE: C
CROWD: When you consider the parking situation and the weather conditions, it would’ve been understandable to see a smaller than normal crowd. The 105,396 announced total may have been a bit higher than the actual total, but the fans certainly exceeded our expectations.
GRADE: A