Winners of three straight, Wisconsin is suddenly well-positioned to give Penn State everything it can handle when it comes to Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday night. As kickoff inches closer, let's analyze the Nittany Lions' roster by breaking it down, position-by-position, ahead of the Badgers' Saturday morning clash.

It's year two of the Drew Allar era in Happy Valley. The highly-touted gunslinger has taken very tangible steps forward this season under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Allar has thrown for 1,492 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions, and his growth in some areas is clear as day. He's bumped his completion percentage up from 59.9 last year to 70.5 this fall. What's more, he's hitting on more throws down the field, as his yards-per-attempt has jumped from 6.8 to 10.2.

His backup is Beau Pribula, a former three-star recruit from York, Pennsylvania. He's taken just 12 drop-backs this season in relief of Allar, throwing passes in just two games. He's a mobile quarterback who's appeared in 17 games for the Nittany Lions during his career.

The last time the Badgers played Penn State, the Nittany Lions' tailback tandem of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen were seniors in high school. Now, they make up the two-headed monster that is Penn State's ground game.

Allen has 27 more carries to his name this season, as Singleton didn't play against UCLA. But the latter has been far more explosive, with 434 yards and three scores on 6.9 yards-per-carry. Allen is more of the bruiser, as he averages 4.7 yards a pop and his longest run has gone for just 26 yards.

Still, the two split snaps nearly exactly evenly. They stay fresh and compliment each other very well. Redshirt freshman Cam Wallace is the only other tailback to have logged significant carries in this offense: he has 18 rushes for 63 yards and a score on the year.

Penn State's wideouts have been rather quiet in 2024. It's leading wide receiver is Harrison Wallace III with 17 grabs for 283 yards and two scores, and 117 of those yards came in Week 1 vs. West Virginia. He's seen the most targets with 28, and he lines up out wide about 92 percent of the time, per Pro Football Focus.

Omari Evans is the next most-productive wideout. The junior has 11 catches for 236 yards and two scores. Again, though, nearly half his yards came in one game: he racked up 116 against Kent State.

Liam Clifford and Julian Fleming are the only two other relevant wide receivers in this offense. The Ohio State transfer Fleming has nine catches for 132 yards, and he plays out wide about three quarters of the time. He's played in 45 career games. Meanwhile, Clifford has played in 31. He's recorded 11 snags for 206 yards and a score, and is primarily a slot receiver. They both have plenty of experience, if not production, throughout their careers.

Tyler Warren could be the headliner of this offense. He was already having a great season before two weeks ago against USC, but that game in Los Angeles solidified his status as one of the best tight ends in the nation. He reeled in 17 catches, tying an FBS record for most catches by a tight end in a single game. He parlayed that into 224 yards, and scored a touchdown on a wild play where he actually lined up at center and snapped the ball to Pribula, who pitched it back to Allar who uncorked a deep ball that Warren caught with a defender all over him. He's easily Penn State's leading receiver and the top pass-catching threat on this offense.

Penn State has played two other tight ends this season, Kahlil Dinkins and Luke Reynolds. They've combined for six catches for 61 yards and a score. Dinkins is the primary in-line player in this room, but all three will split out into the slot as well. The redshirt junior Dinkins has played in 25 career games, while Reynolds is a true freshman.

Penn State has used a whopping 14 offensive linemen this season, nine of which have played at least 40 snaps. Against USC two weeks ago, the alignment looked like this from left to right: Drew Shelton, Olaivavega Ioane, Nick Sawkins, Sal Wormly and Anthony Donkoh. Overall, that's been the most common alignment up front for Penn State.

This unit has been excellent. Pro Football Focus credits the entire offensive line with allowing just one sack all year, and the culprit was JB Nelson, who doesn't start and has played rotationally at left guard this fall. No starter has allowed a sack. Meanwhile, Penn State is one of 26 FBS programs that averages at least 200 yards-per-game on the ground. The offensive trenches have been firing on all cylinders for the Nittany Lions.

Wisconsin fans are undoubtedly curious about former five-star Badger lineman Nolan Rucci. He's played at both tackle spots and struggled to stick. Rucci has played as many as 49 snaps and as few as three. He's played the sixth-most of any lineman as Penn State tries to find a way to use him, but again, he's had a hard time staying on the field.

Abdul Carter is the one to watch here. He's a true game-wrecker, tied for third on the team in tackles with 27 to go along with four sacks, three swatted passes and a forced fumble. Carter looks like a day one NFL Draft selection this spring. He made the transition to defensive end this season after spending the previous two years as a linebacker. Of Penn State's defensive linemen, he's the only one that will occasionally line up off the ball in the box as well.

Dani Dennis-Sutton also plays on the edge, and he too has three pass breakups and a forced fumble alongside his three sacks. The junior was an All-Big-Ten third team selection last season and, just like his running mate Carter, is adept at wreaking havoc as an edge rusher/defensive end hybrid. Those two have combined for 41 pressures as well, affecting the play even when they're not taking the quarterback down.

Zane Durant and DVon J-Thomas are the top two defensive tackles. Durant is adept at getting into the backfield, and his 5.5 tackles-for-loss rank third amongst Power Four defensive tackles and first in the Big Ten. J-Thomas, meanwhile, is a redshirt senior with nine tackles to his name this fall. All of the above four players were either All-Big-Ten in some capacity last season or made the honorable mention team.

Several other players rotate in along the defensive trenches for Penn State, but Amin Vanover and Alonzo Ford Jr are the ones to watch. Vanover has 12 pressures in just 82 pass-rushing snaps, while Ford has nine tackles despite being the 8th-most utilized lineman on the team.

Redshirt junior Kobe King and Sophomore Tony Rojas are the top inside backers for Penn State, and in many ways, they're the heart and soul of the defense. They're second and third on the team in tackles. King is a team captain, while Rojas has played in every single game since he's stepped on campus.

Dominic DeLuca is the No. 3 at linebacker, and he's an interesting story. He joined the team in spring of 2021 as a walk-on and earned a scholarship the following season. DeLuca and senior Tyler Elsdon are the immediate backups. Elsdon has never flooded the stat sheet, but the experienced senior has appeared in 45 career games. The only other linebacker of relevance for Saturday is Ta'Mere Robinson, who has played in four games and logged nine tackles.

Penn State's cornerbacks have been very good in coverage. Combined, its top three corners have allowed a reception percentage of just under 50 percent. That's excellent across the board.

AJ Harris has played the most, and at 6-foot-1, 191 pounds, he's got great size for the position. The sophomore is still just scratching the surface of his potential.

Florida transfer Jalen Kimber and sophomore Elliot Washington II hold down the majority of the remaining outside cornerback snaps. Washington has been especially good in coverage, allowing a catch on just five of his 15 targets and picking off a pass in the process.

At Nickel, Cam Miller has been the slot specialist for the Nittany Lions. The junior has been picked on in coverage more, and he's allowed 14 catches already this season.

Sophomores Zion Tracy and Audavion Collins are the other two corners who could see time in Madison. They've combined for 13 tackles and a pass breakup.

Jaylen Reed is likely the best player in Penn State's back-end. He can play in the box, the back end and the slot, and is also an adept pass-rusher with two sacks and eight pressures on just 20 pass-rushing snaps. He's the top tackler on the team with 39, and also has two pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble to boot.

Zakee Wheatley is the other starting safety, and he's also been a tackling machine with 27. While Reed is the star of this unit, Wheatley has been better in coverage, allowing a catch on just six of his 12 targets.

Kevin Winston Jr. is a decorated player (Bednarik watchlist, All-Big Ten honorable mention, team captain), but he's the third safety in terms of snaps for Penn State. He has 13 tackles and a forced fumble this season.

True freshmen Dejuan Lane and Vaboue Toure have both seen time this season, although neither figures to be a factor against the Badgers.

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