Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1049222
P R E G A M E R E P O R T W I S C O N S I N @ P E N N S T A T E T I M E N O O N , N O V . 1 0 | T V A B C WISCONSIN FACTS COACH Paul Chryst (Wisconsin, '88) COACH'S RECORD 40-10 (26-6 Big Ten) in four seasons at Wis- consin; career college record: 59- 29 2018 RECORD 6-3, 4-2 Big Ten RECORD VS. PSU The all-time series is tied, 9-9. MOST RECENT MEETING Trace McSorley threw for 384 yards and four touchdowns, and the Nittany Lions rallied back from a 21-point first-half deficit, defeating the Badgers, 38-31, in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 3, 2016, in Indianapolis. GOOD NEWS Wisconsin is ranked fourth in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing offense at 273.0 yards per game. The three teams ahead of them – Georgia Tech (377.0), Army (306.6) and Navy (286.9) – all use triple-option offenses and rarely pass the ball. BAD NEWS Although Wisconsin is in the top half of the Big Ten statistics in most major defensive categories, there is one area in which the Badgers are lacking: They don't get to the quarterback very often. Through the first nine weeks of the season, Wisconsin has amassed only 12 sacks, which is tied with Northwestern and Mary- land for the league's lowest total. DID YOU KNOW? Chryst is only the third Big Ten coach of the postwar era to win at least 40 of his first 50 games as a coach in the conference. The oth- ers: Urban Meyer (44-6 at Ohio State) and Bo Schembechler (47- 3 at Michigan). M A T T H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A few weeks ago, it seemed as though the biggest storyline of Wisconsin's visit to Penn State would be the duel between two of the Big Ten's most pro- ductive running backs, Jonathan Taylor and Miles Sanders. And, to be fair, that may still be the case. The two star players have combined for 2,211 yards and are ranked first and fourth, respectively, in the league's rushing chart heading into the season's homestretch. They may indeed be the ones who decide which of these two former Big Ten title aspirants stays in contention for a 10-win sea- son. But now that the game is only days away, the focus has shifted from the run- ning backs to the quarterbacks. The Badgers and Nittany Lions feature two of the league's most successful passers, with junior Alex Hornibrook and senior Trace McSorley having compiled a combined record of 54-13 as starters. But 1 N O V E M B E R 7 , 2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Chryst has guided the Badgers to appearances in the past three Big Ten Champi- onship Games, but they are long shots to re- turn this year. Photo by Bryan Fuller/MGoB- log