Penn State appeared to have Wisconsin in a fourth-down situation on a fourth-quarter drive Saturday. Then … the dreaded buzz from the booth for a targeting review.
The Nittany Lions held on for a 16-10 Big Ten thriller at Madison, making two interceptions deep in their own territory in the final minutes.
The drama built earlier when linebacker Ellis Burks crushed Graham Mertz, stopping him short of a first down with 5:31 left. No penalty flag was thrown. However, the Badgers called timeout and during the break, the decision to review the play was buzzed to the officials.
FOX Sports’ Joe Klatt was apoplectic when the decision came down to penalize Penn State and eject Brooks for not only the remainder of this game but for the first half next week against Ball State. Klatt said it was a disgrace.
The Nittany Lions’ defense rose without its leader as Jacquan Brisker made a leaping interception on another fourth-down play at the goal line.
A final Wisconsin drive was doused by another interception after Mertz was flagged for intentional grounding on second down. A Penn State player was about to sack the quarterback, who flung the ball out of bounds.
The penalty led to a third-and-17 and a 10-second runoff. Mertz threw his second interception in the final minutes on the next play.