5 Penn State Players Who Will Shape Wisconsin’s Week 4 Road Clash

Wisconsin sits at 2-1 with its non-conference slate complete, right where most expected the Badgers to be.

An overwhelming Week 1 matchup against national title contender Notre Dame at Lambeau Field resulted in a blowout loss before Wisconsin took care of lesser opponents in FCS Western Illinois and Group of Six Eastern Michigan.

Now, with Big Ten play upon us, we’ll start to learn much more about the identity of this Wisconsin team and just how good it can be. Penn State, led by first-year head coach Matt Campbell, enters conference play ranked No. 13 after a 3-0 start against inferior non-conference competition.

Beaver Stadium is among the toughest places to play in the country, and if the Badgers are going to pull off the road upset Saturday, these are five Nittany Lions they’ll need to neutralize.

Rocco Becht, Quarterback

Penn State's Rocco Becht — Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Following Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State, Becht entered the 2026 season with three years of starting experience in the Big 12, leading to high expectations. The fifth-year signal-caller has looked the part through three games, throwing for 751 yards with a 70.3% completion rate and nine touchdowns without an interception.

Toughness is a defining trait of Becht, as he played through a torn labrum in his left shoulder for the entirety of 2025 with the Cyclones. The veteran’s arm strength isn’t overly impressive, nor is his athleticism, but Becht is comfortable throwing on the run and getting the ball out quickly, pairing those abilities with a high football IQ. He hasn’t done anything on the ground this year, but 19 career rushing touchdowns suggest he’s capable of using his legs in short-yardage situations.

Becht isn’t in the superstar tier of quarterbacks, but he’s a savvy and experienced operator who shouldn’t need much of an acclimation period to the Big Ten. The Badgers’ pass rush hasn’t been overly inspiring to start the year, but getting pressure on Becht and making him uncomfortable in the pocket will be integral to beating the Nittany Lions.

Koby Howard, Wide Receiver

Penn State's Koby Howard — Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Koby Howard | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite the coaching change, Howard stayed in Happy Valley and has gotten off to a blazing start this fall. After logging just seven catches all of last year, the sophomore wide receiver has already racked up 12 receptions for 344 yards and two touchdowns through three games. To add, Howard has handled two carries for 24 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown run last week against Buffalo.

At 5-foot-11 and 203 pounds, he’s a big-play machine, with 142 of his receiving yards coming after the catch. With a 92.5 PFF grade, Howard trails only Miami’s Malachi Toney among Power Four wide receivers, demonstrating just how impressive the young Nittany Lion has been in 2026.

While Howard has been fantastic on the field, he reportedly picked up an injury in Week 3 and is questionable to play against Wisconsin. Official injury reports for both teams will be released Wednesday and updated daily leading up to Saturday’s tilt, which should shed light on the likelihood of Howard suiting up.

Should the emerging pass catcher be sidelined, Iowa State transfer wide receivers Brett Eskildsen and Chase Sowell, in addition to tight end Benjamin Brahmer, will be Becht’s top targets against the Badgers.

Tony Rojas, Linebacker

Penn State's Tony Rojas — Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Tony Rojas | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rojas’ 2025 season ended prematurely due to a torn ACL in late September, coinciding with Penn State’s huge collapse. Back and healthy in 2026, the linebacker has picked up where he left off, totaling 16 tackles (12 solo), two tackles for loss, a sack, an interception and a pass deflection through three contests. In 36 career games, the redshirt junior has compiled 121 tackles (68 solo), 16 tackles for loss, four sacks, five interceptions, six pass deflections and a forced fumble.

Rojas is incredibly fast for the position, boasting sideline-to-sideline speed at 6-foot-2 and 236 pounds. A well-rounded weapon, he’s both stout in coverage and steady as a tackler.

Wisconsin won’t be able to avoid Rojas, but limiting his impact is a must for the Badgers’ offense to move the ball and sustain drives.

Jeremiah Cooper, Safety

Another Iowa State transfer, Cooper is a former All-Big 12 First Team honoree who suffered a torn ACL after four games last season. Playing primarily at safety, he departed Ames as one of the most prolific defensive playmakers in program history, totaling 134 tackles (82 solo), 4.5 tackles for loss, eight interceptions, 29 pass deflections and a forced fumble in 38 games. Through three contests with Penn State, Cooper has accumulated four tackles (three solo) and a pass deflection.

There’s no denying the fifth-year senior’s ballhawk tendencies, but tackling has been a glaring weakness. Cooper has already whiffed on a pair of tackles this year after being credited with 36 missed tackles during his Iowa State career, while his highest PFF tackling grade as a full-time starter was just 44.9 in 2023.

While Cooper is a turnover threat Colton Joseph must be aware of, his poor tackling track record could present opportunities for Wisconsin’s dynamic ball carriers, particularly running back Abu Sama III and wide receiver Tyrell Henry, to exploit.

Ryan Barker, Kicker

Penn State's Ryan Barker — Penn State Nittany Lions kicker Ryan Barker | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Gavin Lahm’s success has been a pleasant surprise for Wisconsin, Penn State entered 2026 with an established option of its own in Barker. The redshirt junior has gone 15-of-15 on extra points and 5-of-6 (83.3%) on field goals through three games, with his lone miss coming from 33 yards against Temple in Week 1. He connected from a season-high 48 yards against Buffalo last week. In 30 career games, Barker has converted 107-of-109 (98.2%) extra-point attempts and 38-of-43 (88.4%) field-goal attempts with a career long of 49 yards.

Barker is 0-for-2 from 50+ yards in his career, but he’s been highly reliable from 40-49 yards, converting 13-of-15 attempts (86.7%). That consistency earned the Landenberg, Pennsylvania, native a spot on the Lou Groza Award Watch List entering the season.

Every point counts in competitive conference matchups, and while Barker doesn’t boast awe-inspiring leg strength, his consistency makes him a reliable asset for the Nittany Lions.

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