Wisconsin held Penn State for nearly three quarters, but the No. 3-ranked Nittany Lions flexed their muscles and ultimately pulled away 28-13. There was a lot to take away from the Badgers' performance.

During Wisconsin's three-game winning streak, Locke proved he is more than capable of being a quarterback in the Big Ten. But tonight looked like much of the great Badgers game in recent years. Locke finished the night 22 of 42 for 217 yards and had an interception for the fifth straight game. He just looked more like a game manager. If the Badgers want to take the next step as a program, they need to be able to play better at the quarterback position.

If there was one positive to take away from Wisconsin's performance against Penn State, it was the fact that punter Atticus Bertrams once again proved he is a weapon. Not only was it the first hit he took on a fake punt, it was also incredibly valuable in turning the field over for the Badgers. He finished his night with five punts for a total of 257 yards, a respectable 51.4 yards per punt.

Fickell's most significant win since becoming head coach of the Badgers was arguably last season's rivalry win on the road against Minnesota, but the Gophers went 5-6 in that game. Tonight was his opportunity to take his first big win. He is now 0-5 against ranked opponents, but will get another chance next month against current No. 1 Oregon.

When veteran running back Chez Mellusi left the team for health reasons earlier this season, there were many questions about Wisconsin's running game. Tawee Walker had three straight games with 90+ rushing yards but was shut out tonight against Penn State. He finished the game with 22 carries for 59 yards and the Badgers had nothing to offer in the run game. Wisconsin football will always be at its best with a strong running game, and there's still a long way to go before dominance in that area.

Drew Allar, Penn State's starting quarterback, did not play in the second half. Beau Pribula had played fewer than 250 snaps in his career, but tonight he looked like a seasoned veteran in the second half. He was 11 of 13 for 98 yards and a passing touchdown while adding six runs for 28 yards on the ground. Wisconsin's defense was expected to be a strength of this team, but they let a backup quarterback come in and do whatever he wanted for 30 minutes.