Nov. 26, 2013
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GAME INFORMATION
TELEVISION: ESPN
Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham and Jeannine Edwards.
TV APPEARANCES: The Nittany Lions are appearing on television for the 240th time in their last 242 games.
RADIO: Penn State Sports Network (60 stations):
Steve Jones (p-by-p), Jack Ham (analyst), Loren Crispell (sideline).
Local: 93.7 FM & 1450 AM.
Wisconsin Radio Network: Matt Lepay (p-by-p), Mike Lucas (analyst).
WEB: GameTracker and Live Audio available at GoPSUsports.com
SERIES: Penn State and Wisconsin are meeting for the 17th time overall and 15th time as Big Ten rivals, with Wisconsin owning the on-field advantage, 9-7. The teams first met in 1953. Penn State won the 2012 meeting, 24-21 in overtime, and has won three of the last four games in the series. After Saturday's game, the teams are not scheduled to meet again until Nov. 10, 2018 in Happy Valley.
COACHES
Bill O'Brien
PENN STATE RECORD: 14-9, 2nd year
OVERALL RECORD: Same
VS. WISCONSIN: 1-0
NOTABLE: Named Penn State's 15th head football coach on Jan. 6, 2012...Won first career game vs. Navy on Sept. 15, 2012...2012 Big Ten-Dave McClain Coach of the Year...2012 Bear Bryant, Maxwell Football Club and ESPN National Coach of the Year...Former New England Patriots offensive coordinator under Bill Belichick...Coached NFL MVP Tom Brady from 2009-11.
GARY ANDERSEN
WISCONSIN RECORD: 9-2, 1st year
OVERALL RECORD: 39-33, 6th year
VS. PENN STATE: First Meeting
AT A GLANCE
Penn State will conclude the 2013 season with a trip to No. 14 Wisconsin for a 3:30 p.m. clash in Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers are the sixth team Penn State has played this season that has been nationally ranked.
The Nittany Lions and Badgers are meeting in the regular season finale for the third consecutive year, but after Saturday's game are not scheduled to meet until 2018, with the start of the Big Ten's East and West divisions in 2014. Wisconsin owns an 9-7 advantage in the series, but Penn State has won three of the last four meetings. The Nittany Lions earned a 24-21 overtime victory in Beaver Stadium last season.
Zach Zwinak gained 149 rushing yards vs. Nebraska for his third straight 100-yard rushing effort, giving him four on the season and 10 for his career. His 1,881 career rushing rank him 18th in PSU history, just behind Franco Harris.
Allen Robinson's eight catches for 106 yards against Nebraska helped the wideout move into second on the career receptions chart with 169 catches, just 10 catches shy of Deon Butler's school record 179 grabs from 2005-08. A semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, Robinson owns the single season receptions (89) and receiving yards (1,310) marks. Robinson leads the Big Ten in receptions (8.1 rpg) and receiving yards per game (119.1), ranking eighth and fifth, respectively, in the NCAA.
True freshman Christian Hackenberg is among the Big Ten's top signal callers, ranking second in the conference in completions (210) and passing yards (237.8 ypg). Hackenberg has eight 200-yard passing games this year to break to Penn State freshman record and ranks in the top five in school season completions and yardage.
The Badgers average 297.8 yards rushing per game, which ranks eighth in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten, with Melvin Gordon (125.0 ypg) and James White (116.5 ypg) both ranking among the top-15 in the NCAA. Linebacker Chris Borland is among the top tacklers in the country with 9.2 stops per game.