Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/756912
P R E G A M E R E P O R T P E N N S T A T E v s . W I S C O N S I N 8 : 1 7 P . M . , D E C . 3 F O X WISCONSIN FACTS COACH Paul Chryst (Wisconsin, '88) COACH'S RECORD 20-5 in two seasons; career record: 39-24 in five seasons 2016 RECORD 10-2 (7-2 Big Ten) RECORD VS. PSU Wisconsin leads the all-time series, 9-8. MOST RECENT MEETING Chris- tian Hackenberg completed 21 of 30 passes for 339 yards and four touchdowns, and Zach Zwinak ran for 115 yards to help Penn State upset the 14th-ranked Badgers at Camp Randall Sta- dium on Nov. 30, 2013. GOOD NEWS Wisconsin's ball-hawking defense has produced a nation-leading 21 interceptions. That's three more than the Badgers totaled in their previous two seasons combined. Eleven of those picks have come in their past three games. BAD NEWS The Badgers are in the top half of the Big Ten standings in just about every statistical category except one: punting. They are av- eraging only 37.4 yards per at- tempt to rank 13th in the conference, ahead of only Rut- gers. DID YOU KNOW? Wisconsin redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook is the younger brother of Mackenzie Hornibrook, a senior captain on the Penn State women's swim- ming and diving team. The Horni- brooks are from West Chester, Pa. It is uncertain whether Alex will play vs. the Nittany Lions after he suffered a head injury in the Badgers' regular-season finale against Minnesota. 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 Two years ago, Wisconsin went to the Big Ten Championship Game hoping to open some eyes and keep the momentum going aBer a 10-win regular season. The Badgers hoped to do that by beating an Ohio State team that was angling for a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff. Things did not go well. Wisconsin fell behind early and was forced to deviate from a game plan that would presum- ably have leaned heavily on national rushing leader Melvin Gordon had the team had been in position to deploy it. Its defense was lit up by Cardale Jones and Ezekiel Elliott, as the Buckeyes amassed 364 yards in building a 38- 0 halBime lead. By the time the game finally ended, Ohio State had scored 59 unanswered points, earning a spot in the playoff (and eventually a national championship), while the Badgers found themselves headed to the Outback Bowl, where they edged Auburn, 34-31. Paul Chryst was not on the sideline for that lopsided loss to the Buckeyes; he was hired 1 PRIZE FIGHTERS Badgers and Lions set to battle for Big Ten title in Indianapolis Chryst's 20-5 record is second-best in the Badgers' modern his- tory after 25 games, trailing only the 21-4 mark that Bret Bielema posted in 2006 and '07. Photo by Bryan Fuller/MGoBlog N O V E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M