MADISON, Wis. -- It was only evident on one play, and that came very early in the game.

But the impact was felt all the way through and allowed Penn State to hold Wisconsin to 309 yards, the lowest total by an opponent this year.

To set the scene first, the Badgers were trying to counter a Penn State field goal on the opening drive. They were driving and had picked up a first down at their own 44-yard line.

Quarterback Brooks Bollinger was rolling to both sides and either throwing or keeping the ball, and the Lions could not move quickly enough to get him. With receivers running fly routes, Penn State's safeties and corners were drawn 20 yards down field, leaving a large gap for Bollinger to run through. A simple pump fake by Bollinger could cause those defenders to pause, and a pass would open.

It looked like Bollinger, a superb field general, would have his way with the Penn State defense.

Until the big play came, the kind of play coaches talk about. The one where a player hurts the other team badly and makes it look easy. Those plays change a team's offensive game plan.

Derek Wake was the man to do it, with a little help from defensive coordinator Tom Bradley.

Wake lined up on the left side of the line, right next to John Bronson. From above, it looked as if the Lions were in a 5-2 defense. Wisconsin didn't see it fast enough, and Bollinger failed to audible. Nobody blocked Wake. Bollinger felt him seconds later.

It was as if Bollinger and Wake were magnetically drawn together. As Bollinger took the snap and tried to roll right, an untouched Wake caught him 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

"That was part of the game plan," Wake said. "We watched a lot of tape on these guys, and we knew they had some weaknesses on the offensive line."

That weakness has surprised long-time Badger fans, who are more accustomed to domination on the line. There are two sophomores on the line, but the other three are seniors and left tackle Ben Johnson is a three-year starter. His cousin, Al Johnson, has started 28 of Wisconsin's last 29 games and was named the best center in the nation
by the Sporting News before the season.

In five games, Wisconsin has allowed 26 sacks. That's 5.2 per game.

Though Wake didn't break free on that blitz again, he did continue to scare the Badgers. Often, tailback Anthony Davis was forced to stay in and block instead of going out for a pass.

Davis, a below-average blocker, only held him off for a few minutes before needing help.

Basically, Wake turned into another lineman and freed enough room to create six other sacks, three by right tackle Jimmy Kennedy and three by right end Michael Haynes.

"Our defensive line and linebackers are as good as anybody in the country," Wake said.

"We knew we'd have success if we went after them. We wanted to put the pressure on them, and we did."