In what proved to be the wildest game on championship weekend, the Penn State Nittany Lions pulled off a miraculous 21-point comeback to win the school's first Big Ten title since 2008 with a 38-31 win over Wisconsin.
PSU quarterback Trace McSorley led the way, throwing for nearly 400 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions to spark the comeback. It is the largest comeback ever in Power 5 conference championship game.
Early on, it looked like Wisconsin was going to win this one in a rout. They were dominating the line of scrimmage to the tune of three touchdown runs, and their defense came up with a touchdown on a wild snap:
In all, the Badgers had a 28-7 lead with less than two minutes left in the first half. That was when Penn State flipped the switch and starting clicking on offense. McSorley found Saeed Blacknall for a 40-yard touchdown right before the break, then hit him with a 70-yard bomb on PSU's first play of the second half to cut the lead to seven:
After the defense stopped Wisconsin again, Penn State drove down the field, and a one-yard touchdown run from Saquon Barkley tied the game. The Badgers regained the lead with a field goal, but with all the momentum, the Nittany Lions found the end zone once again to take a 35-31 lead, their first lead of the game.
The Nittany Lions added a field goal on their next drive, and then stopped Wisconsin on a 4th & 1 attempt with just over a minute to play to preserve the victory.
McSorley finished with 384 passing yards and those four touchdowns, both of which are Big Ten Championship Game records. He was helped by Barkley who racked up 82 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while catching two passes for 20 yards and that game-winning touchdown.
Penn State now moves to 11-2 with the win, and clinches a spot in the Rose Bowl. They also have an outside chance of making the College Football Playoff as conference champions with the head-to-head victory over No. 2 Ohio State.
Running back Corey Clement was Wisconsin's best offense, picking up 164 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. The Badgers fall to 10-3 on the season, and are likely headed to either the Cotton Bowl or the Outback Bowl.
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