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Penn State-Wisconsin Game Preview

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 20 Penn State (6-3, 3-3) welcomes the Wisconsin Badgers (6-3, 4-2) to Beaver Stadium for a Big Ten showdown on ABC. The game, scheduled for noon, will mark the 19th meeting between the storied programs. 
 
The Nittany Lions have won nine-straight games over Big Ten West opponents. Penn State last played Wisconsin at the 2016 Big Ten Championship Game where they declared a 38-31 victory behind Trace McSorley's four-touchdown performance.
 
Under head coach Paul Chryst, Wisconsin is 11-1 in the month of November. The Badgers are led by running back Jonathan Taylor who's averaging 151.44 yards per game. Taylor currently leads the country with 1,363 rushing yards and is coming off a three-touchdown performance against Rutgers last Saturday. 
 
Penn State Spotlight
Penn State defenders continue to lead the Big Ten with 7.4 tackles for loss per game. Yetur Gross-Matos leads the team with 13.5 tackles for loss and has had 7.0 tackles for loss in the last three weeks. The sophomore is averaging 1.5 tackles for loss per game this season. On the flip side, the Badgers have allowed 28 tackles for loss which is the fewest allowed among FBS teams. Wisconsin's top four backs have combined for 338 carries, 10 of those have resulted in negative-yardage. The battle up front will be an important phase to watch for come Saturday. 



 
Wisconsin quick facts
Head coach: Paul Chryst
Record at Wisconsin (4th season): 40-10
Career Record (7th season): 59-30 (.663)
vs. Penn State: 0-1
 
What to know about Wisconsin
-After entering concussion protocol for the second time this season, quarterback Alex Hornibrook is listed as questionable for Saturday.
-If Hornibrook is unavailable, sophomore Jack Coan would be making his second start of the season. His only other start came against Northwestern on October 27. Coan went 20-31 for 158 yards and one touchdown.
-Running back Jonathan Taylor leads the FBS with 1,363 rushing yards. Taylor is coming off a three-touchdown performance against Rutgers where he averaged 7.7 yards per carry.
-Penn State's offense will face Wisconsin's 3-4 odd-front defense that's led by T.J. Edwards, D'Cota Dixon and Ryan Connelly.
 
THON Day
It will be THON Day to celebrate the largest student-run philanthropy in the world. Penn State will wear THON stickers on its helmets and the Penn State student section will wear yellow. "Our team embraces THON and what THON has done for this community," head coach James Franklin said. "Charlie Shuman came to us representing THON and talked about us putting a sticker on the back of our helmet. I don't think we've ever done that before. Our guys are excited about that."