Wisconsin's comeback at Penn State puts 2026 team in rare company
Luke Fickell has his signature win.
The unranked Wisconsin Badgers clawed back from a 17-0 deficit to knock off No. 14 Penn State 24-20 on Sept. 26 in their Big Ten opener in University Park, Pennsylvania.
“You couldn’t write it any better,” the fourth-year Wisconsin coach said after the game.
Penn State’s ranking, the hostile environment and Wisconsin’s recent struggles aside, a comeback of that size is hard for any team to execute. Just take a look at UW football history.
It was only Wisconsin’s seventh successful comeback of 17 points or more in at least eight decades. (The UW record book does not go further back than 1946 in tracking comeback wins.)
Here are the other six big comebacks:
Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph (1) warms up prior to the game on Saturday, Sept. 26, against the Penn State Nittany Lions at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium.
Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph (1) warms up prior to the game on Saturday, Sept. 26, against the Penn State Nittany Lions at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium.
Wisconsin’s last comeback of this size was nearly 20 years ago on Oct. 28, 2006.
The Badgers overcame a 21-3 deficit in the second quarter en route to a 30-24 win at Camp Randall Stadium. As in 2026, UW’s foe had from a pick-six in the first half before the Badgers benefited from an exceptional defensive showing in the second half.
One needs to go back nearly 25 years to find the last time that Wisconsin pulled off a 17-plus-point comeback either on the road or against a ranked team. The Badgers fell into a 17-0 hole at Ohio Stadium before scoring 20 unanswered points, delivering a silver lining in a difficult 2001 season.
The 1999 Rose Bowl team was coming off back-to-back losses and appeared to be facing another ill fate when trailing Ohio State 17-0 at the Horseshoe. Ron Dayne’s four touchdowns helped the Badgers score 42 unanswered points and walk away with a 42-17 win.
Dave McClain’s penultimate season as Wisconsin’s coach featured the biggest recorded comeback in program history. UW faced a 28-7 deficit with 4:42 left in the third quarter in Week 2 at Missouri before leaving Columbia with a 35-34 win.
Wisconsin’s 18-point comeback over Purdue had somewhat of an asterisk.
The Badgers indeed clawed back from a 24-6 hole early in the third quarter, but they did not leave Camp Randall with a win. Instead, UW’s 18 unanswered points led to a 24-24 tie in McClain’s first season.
After losing its first three games, the 1969 Badgers trailed rival Iowa 17-0 late in the third quarter before scoring 23 unanswered points. UW finally took the lead with two-plus minutes remaining on a Neil Graff touchdown pass to Randall Marks.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin’s comeback at Penn State puts 2026 team in rare company
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