Inside the Badgers' Locker Room After Thrilling Upset Win at No. 13 Penn State: 'This is a Message'

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Wisconsin football just authored one of the most improbable wins I've seen since I started covering college football.

Down two scores with under four minutes to play, on the road against the No. 13 team in the country in one of the loudest stadiums you can find in North America, the Badgers clawed their way back to win after they looked dead in the water down 17-0.

How did they did it? I'm still processing it, to be quite honest. But one thing is for certain; Wisconsin played with relentless effort, never letting up even as victory looked significantly out of reach for much of the game.

Badgers On SI, which had boots on the ground in Happy Valley, takes you inside Wisconsin's locker room for reactions from some of the Badgers' top performers in what is now the defining win in the Luke Fickell era.

QB Colton Joseph

Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Joseph was on his way to one of the worst games of his collegiate career with three interceptions and no passing touchdowns up until just under four minutes to play. He proceeded to drop an absolute dime to wideout Eugene Hilton Jr. in the back corner of the end zone to bring the game within three, and then hit tight end Jacob Harris for a 72-yard, go-ahead touchdown that will live on in Wisconsin lore forever.

“Early on, all week, we knew we’d hit adversity. I didn’t think I’d hit that much adversity myself, personally, but I just can’t thank my teammates enough. They helped me stay in that game, they built my confidence every drive," he said. "We knew it wasn't finished. Our defense was playing lights out.”

At first, it looked like the environment was getting to Joseph. A few of his picks were ugly, and he dropped a snap on Wisconsin's opening drive with the Badgers' backs right at the Penn State student section. Listening to him after the game, it sure didn't sound like the crowd bothered him.

“We’re in that huddle, down 10 points, the crowd is super loud and we’re laughing about it," he said.

TE Jacob Harris

Wisconsin Badgers tight end Jacob Harris. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Harris was the hero for the Badgers, but he also almost doomed them when it mattered most.

"I mean, thank god. That's the least I can do after false starting two times on the biggest drive of the game," he said. "To be able to make up for it in a big moment is really special to me."

Like Joseph, Harris also had to bounce back from a few bad plays that almost sunk Wisconsin. He finished as Wisconsin's leading receiver with five catches for 105 yards and a score, but obviously, there was no bigger play than his catch-and-run touchdown.

"I had a place to go, and (the defender) was in the way of that place. I had to get him up outta there. After that, just make the play and don't get caught," he said. "My dad was clowning me last week, on the little flat that I can I probably could've scored, he thought."

Harris left no doubt about what this win means for Wisconsin.

"This is big time. This is a message. The Badgers are back. We're not just gonna roll over."

WR Eugene Hilton Jr

Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Eugene Hilton Jr. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I was ready to put Hilton in the proverbial dog house up until his touchdown. Up until that point, he had just one catch for 18 yards and a drop on a screen pass. But when it mattered most, the receiver reminded us why his play in fall camp wrote headline after headline.

"I kinda knew I had him," he said of the defensive back in coverage with a smirk. "Just with the route, I knew I just needed to trust my speed and trust Colton, and it was a big moment for me especially, being my first touchdown at a crazy stadium like this."

Time after time, the Badgers' offense stalled when it looked like their defense had handed them a golden opportunity. Hilton said Wisconsin stayed true to who it was, knowing many of its wounds were self-inflicted.

"We had too many setbacks where it's like, it's nothing (Penn State) is doing," he said.

One of the many things that makes this win so improbable is that right when Penn State had the Badgers on the ropes, right when the stadium was at its loudest with Wisconsin down 10 points late in the fourth quarter, that's when the Badgers' offense turned it on.

"Our coaches blasted Mo Bamba throughout the week. We knew it was gonna be like that."

LB Mason Posa

Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Mason Posa. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Posa was the Badgers' leading tackler with 12, and he had a big 5-yard TFL to boot. But that doesn't do his performance justice; as the green dot player and captain of this defense, Posa's unit was suffocating in the second half, forcing four straight three-and-outs at one point in the second half.

The Badgers walked out of Beaver Stadium with an enormous win, one that has the potential to help flip the entire narrative of their program the past three-plus years. But Posa leaves with some memorabilia of his own.

"It's huge, man. It's a sigh of relief to finally finish out a game. I got a little piece of Penn State's field, just kinda dig it up, put it in a little baggie, always remember this moment."

Despite what was a lackluster offensive showing for about 56 minutes of game time, Posa said the defense's mindset never wavered.

"We trust the offense is gonna work. The more they have the ball, the more they're gonna take opportunities and start to score. We know that."

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