Wisconsin 24, Penn State 20: Recap of the Late Comeback in State College
- 🔑 Wisconsin scored twice in the final 3:31, including a 72-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Colton Joseph to Jacob Harris with 1:13 left, to erase a 17-point deficit and beat No. 13 Penn State 24-20 at Beaver Stadium in State College on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
- Penn State built a 17-0 lead in the first half by turning two Wisconsin interceptions into points, including a 50-yard pick-six by cornerback Josiah Zayas; that lead had grown to 20-10 in the fourth quarter before Wisconsin’s rally began.
- Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht finished 12-for-29 passing for 129 yards with an interception, and his final deep throw of the game sailed incomplete out of the back of the end zone as time expired, ending the Nittany Lions’ comeback bid.
- The win snapped Wisconsin’s six-game losing streak in the series and was the Badgers’ first victory in State College since 2003; Wisconsin improved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play, while Penn State had entered the game ranked No. 13 nationally.
- Wisconsin’s head coach called it the signature win of his tenure at the school, saying afterward that the comeback reflected who the team needs to be going forward. No betting odds or win-probability figures are used anywhere in this recap.
Wisconsin beat Penn State 24-20 in State College on Saturday, September 26, 2026, scoring two touchdowns in the final four minutes to erase a 17-point deficit. Quarterback Colton Joseph threw the go-ahead score, a 72-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Harris, with 1:13 left on the clock, and Penn State’s final desperation pass fell incomplete as time expired. Here’s what happened in one of the biggest comebacks of the young Big Ten season, and what it means for both teams.
What was the final score of Wisconsin vs. Penn State?
Wisconsin won 24-20 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. The Badgers trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half before rallying with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to take the lead for good. Penn State, ranked No. 13 entering the game, was outscored 14-0 over the final 3:31 of play after leading for most of the afternoon.
How did Wisconsin erase a 17-point deficit?
Wisconsin scored on back-to-back possessions in the closing minutes, turning a 20-10 fourth-quarter deficit into a 24-20 lead. Colton Joseph threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Hilton Jr. with 3:31 remaining to cut the gap, then connected with Jacob Harris on the 72-yard score with 1:13 left for the game-winning points. Penn State had built its first-half cushion largely off Wisconsin turnovers: cornerback Josiah Zayas returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown, and a second interception, by Daryus Dixson, set up a short Penn State touchdown drive that pushed the lead to 17-0.
What happened on the winning touchdown?
Joseph found Harris uncovered down the middle of the field on third-and-13, and Harris broke a tackle near the Penn State 32-yard line before finishing the run into the end zone. The 72-yard connection came with 1:13 remaining and gave Wisconsin its first lead of the entire game.
How did Penn State’s final drive end?
Penn State’s last possession ended when quarterback Rocco Becht’s deep throw toward the end zone fell incomplete as time expired. Becht finished the game 12-for-29 passing for 129 yards with one interception. The Nittany Lions got the ball back with a chance to answer Wisconsin’s go-ahead score but could not move into range for a tying or winning play before the final whistle.
What does this result mean for both teams?
The win snapped Wisconsin’s six-game losing streak against Penn State and was the Badgers’ first victory in State College since 2003. Wisconsin improved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play. Wisconsin’s head coach called it the biggest win of his tenure at the school, saying afterward that the fourth-quarter fight was “who we need to be” going forward. For Penn State, the loss came in the Nittany Lions’ Big Ten opener after the team entered the week ranked No. 13 nationally; Penn State had led by double digits for most of the first three quarters before the second-half collapse.
The bottom line
Saturday’s result is a reminder of how quickly a Big Ten game can swing in the final minutes: Wisconsin’s rally from 17 points down ranks among the largest comebacks in program history. As of Sunday morning, September 27, 2026, both teams turn to Week 5, with Wisconsin looking to build on its signature road win and Penn State looking to regroup after squandering a double-digit lead at home.
How we verified this
The final score, scoring plays and game situation were checked against multiple independent primary and wire sources: both schools’ own athletics-department recaps (Wisconsin’s and Penn State’s official sites), a national wire-service game story, and network sports-site gametrackers and box scores. All agreed on the 24-20 final, the 17-point Wisconsin comeback, and the timing of the two go-ahead touchdown passes (11 yards to Eugene Hilton Jr. with 3:31 left, 72 yards to Jacob Harris with 1:13 left).
Player statistics — Rocco Becht’s 12-for-29, 129-yard, one-interception line, and the identities of the two Wisconsin defensive-turnover returns in the first half — were consistent across the athletics-department recaps and wire coverage checked, with no conflicting figures found.
No betting odds, point spreads, or win-probability figures appear anywhere on this page.
Still unresolved at write time: national and conference rankings reflecting this result had not yet been released as of Sunday morning, September 27, 2026, so no ranking claim beyond Penn State’s pre-game No. 13 status is made here.