The all-time game-by-game results between Penn State and Wisconsin
Penn State and Wisconsin have played one of the more competitive series that the Nittany Lions have been a part of since joining the Big Ten in 1993, although the first meeting in the series dates back decades before that. The series will help kick off the 2021 college football season as Penn State visits Wisconsin in Week 1 of the 2021 season.
Penn State leads the all-time series with Wisconsin with a head-to-head record of 10-9 in their favor. Here’s a look back at the history of the series as we move closer to the start of the next game in the series this fall.
1953: Wisconsin 20, Penn State 0
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The first encounter was played at Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 26 with Rip Engle coaching Penn State and Ivy Williamson running the show for the Badgers. Wisconsin went 6-2-1 that year and was led by the great Alan Ameche, who finished sixth in the Heisman voting. Penn State went 6-3 in a season that saw it have two three-game winning streaks.
1970: Wisconsin 29, Penn State 16
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The schools met early in the season, again, in 1970 and the Badgers came away with another victory. The Nittany Lions were ranked 16th coming into the game.
1995: Wisconsin 17, Penn State 9
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Another meeting in the first part of the season Penn State was ranked sixth and on a 20-game winning streak. Wisconsin was unranked and spoiled Joe Paterno's 500th game as Nittany Lions coach. Quarterback Darrell Bevell led the way, completing 18-of-22 passes for 192 yards and 2 touchdowns. This was the first meeting of the schools as Big Ten foes.
1996: Penn State 23, Wisconsin 20
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Penn State finally notched its first victory over the Badgers in four tries. The victory improved the Nittany Lions to 5-0. Wally Richardson threw for 246 yards, Curtis Enis rushed for 115, and Joe Jurevicius had 135 receiving. However, the next week they were knocked off by Ohio State in a thumping at Columbus.
1997: Penn State 35, Wisconsin 10
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Penn State crushed the Badgers in this game, scoring 35 consecutive points after an opening Wisconsin field goal. Joe Jurevicius had two TD receptions from Mike McQueary. Curtis Enis scored on a 78-yard run and a 13-yard dash.
1998: Wisconsin 24, Penn State 3
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The Badgers took a 17-0 lead and cruised to victory. Nick Davis opened the scoring with an 82-yard punt return. Chris Chambers caught a 26-yard TD pass from Mike Samuel. Samuel closed the scoring in the final quarter with a one-yard run to paydirt. Penn State's offense basically was stalled. Eric McCoo had 91 yards rushing.
2001: Wisconsin 18, Penn State 6
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Brooks Bollinger rushed for a touchdown and threw for one as the Badgers shut down the Nittany Lions. The only points scored by Penn State came on a 50-yard TD pass from Matt Senneca to Larry Johnson in the third quarter.
2002: Penn State 34, Wisconsin 31
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Despite spraining his shoulder early, Zack Mills completed 21-of-37 passes for 287 yards. He also recovered by fullback Paul Johnson in the first quarter for a touchdown. Larry Johnson had 171 all-purpose yards, rushing 14 times for 111 yards before leaving with a hamstring injury. Robbie Gould kicked four field goals.
2003: Wisconsin 30, Penn State 23
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Wisconsin built a 23-9 lead and Penn State was never able to get closer than seven points, which proved to be the final difference. Jim Sorgi threw a pair of TD passes for the Badgers.
2004: Wisconsin 16, Penn State 3
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Fullback Matt Bernstein was fasting on Yom Kippur and he devoured the Nittany Lions on the field. Bernstein hadn't eaten for 24 hours because of Yom Kippur, so he wolfed down oranges and turkey on the sideline after kickoff, along with several chugs of water, per The AP report. Bernstein rushed 26 times for 120 yards in the second half, numbers similar to his entire 2003 output when he gained 120 yards on 29 attempts.
2005: Penn State 35, Wisconsin 14
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Tamba Hali had four sacks, while Michael Robinson threw two touchdown passes and ran for 125 yards as the 10th-ranked Nittany Lions inched closer to claiming the Big Ten's BCS bid.
2006: Wisconsin 13, Penn State 3
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Joe Paterno was injured during the game when Andrew Quarless rolled into the coach in the third quarter. John Stocco led Wisconsin on a nine-play, 68-yard drive in the final five minutes of the first half, throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Paul Hubbard.
2007: Penn State 38, Wisconsin 7
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Anthony Morelli threw for 216 yards and the TD to Butler, Rodney Kinlaw ran for 115 yards and another score, and the Nittany Lions rolled. Wisconsin allowed 437 yards to Penn State. Evan Royster's 19-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1 with 6:29 in the second quarter gave Penn State a 24-7 lead.
2008: Penn State 48, Wisconsin 7
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Daryll Clark threw for a touchdown and ran for two more scores, Derrick Williams ran a punt back for a touchdown and cornerback Lydell Sargeant had two interceptions off of two quarterbacks. It was the second straight home loss for the Badgers, and the first time they'd opened conference play with three losses since 2002.
2011: Wisconsin 45, Penn State 7
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With a spot in the Big Ten championship game on the line, Penn State was overwhelmed by Russell Wilson and Montee Ball. Ball scored four more touchdowns as Wisconsin routed Penn State. He finished with 156 yards on 25 carries.
2012: Penn State 24, Wisconsin 21 (OT)
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Sam Ficken hit a 37-yard field goal in overtime, and Wisconsin's Kyle French attempt from 44 yards went wide left to seal Penn State's win. Montee Ball ran for 111 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries and set the NCAA record with his 79th career score. His day was overshadowed by Penn State running back Zach Zwinak (career-high 179 yards and one score) and Ficken, who made all three field-goal attempts.
2013: Penn State 31, Wisconsin 24
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Freshman Christian Hackenberg passed for 339 yards and four touchdowns, and Penn State pounced on a slew of Badgers blunders. Eugene Lewis finished with 91 yards and two touchdowns on three catches, including a 59-yarder with 13 minutes to go to give the Nittany Lions a 31-14 lead. Adam Breneman had 78 yards on three receptions, including a 68-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown as Penn State ruined Wisconsin's shot at playing in a BCS bowl game.
2016: Penn State 38, Wisconsin 31 (Big Ten Championship Game)
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Trace McSorley finished 22 of 31 for 384 yards with four TD passes, breaking the Big Ten title game records for yards and TD passes. He also broke the school's single-season records for yards passing and touchdown passes as the Nittany Lions overcame a 28-7 deficit. Saeed Blacknall caught six passes, two for touchdowns, and finished with a championship-game record 155 yards. DaeSean Hamilton caught eight passes for 118 yards.
2018: Penn State 22, Wisconsin 10
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Miles Sanders ran for 159 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, McSorley matched Todd Blackledge's program record with his 29th win at quarterback.
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