November 24, 2012 at 12:56 PM

Quarterback

Matt McGloin, the former walk on who has since proved most of his critics wrong, has an opportunity to go out with a serious bang today on senior day. The fifth-year senior has demolished the expectations of most in his historic final season under center at Penn State. He is averaging 279 yards per game, 41 more than any other Big Ten quarterback and is coming off a career-high 395-yard performance against Indiana. He’s primed to take this game over, albeit against a formidable pass defense in Wisconsin. His counter part, Curt Phillips, has averaged just 97.5 passing yards in his two starts this season since relieving Joel Stave, who went down with a collarbone injury earlier this season.

Advantage: Penn State

Running back

Zach Zwinak has certainly surged onto the scene this season, especially most recently in Big Ten play when he has averaged 103.6 yards per game on the ground and had five touchdowns. In fact, his last three games have been even more spectacular, as the redshirt sophomore has tallied at least 134 rushing yards in each contest. However, Zwinak is forced to compete with a player on the verge of legendary status in NCAA history, Montee Ball. The senior has averaged a Big Ten leading 128 yards per game this season, but more impressively, is currently tied for most career touchdowns in NCAA history with 78 of them. Look for Ball to get in the endzone early but taper off as the game goes on — the Badgers’ coaching staff is likely not to work him too much with a guaranteed trip to the Big Ten title game looming.

Advantage: Wisconsin

Wide receivers

After not having a 100+ yard day in seven straight games, Penn State’s No. 1 receiver Allen Robinson broke out for an incredible 10-catch, 197-yard, 3-touchdown performance against Indiana last weekend. Although the Hoosiers’ don’t possess the best passing defense, the sophomore made several highlight-reel catches in the game and showed himself to be back on the map. Conversely, the receiver with the second-most yards in the air in the conference — behind Robinson — is the Badgers’ Jared Abbrederis, who has averaged 72.9 yards per game. Look for the Wisconsin receiving corps to demonstrate depth but Robinson eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark for the year and reaching the endzone at least once in this one.

Advantage: Penn State

Tight ends

The Nittany Lions’ tight end corps proved to still be a respectable crew after officially losing Kyle Carter for the season last weekend against Indiana. Though no one tight end jumped out on the stat sheet, the combination of Matt Lehman, Jesse James and Garry Gilliam still combined for a 100-yard day. Wisconsin, however, poses more of a single-headed attack from the position out of Jacob Pederson, who is the team’s second-leading receiver. Look for the Badgers’ defense shutting down the Lions’ tight ends enough to keep this one an evenly matched position battle.

Advantage: Push

Offensive line

The Wisconsin offensive line has allowed the ninth-most sacks in the Big Ten this season with 24, compared to just 19 for Penn State. The difference is not major, but, considering the Badgers attempt 16 less passes per game, their sack-per-attempt ratio is much higher than the Lions. However, the X-factor in this scenario, of course, is the away team’s ability to block for Ball, who has taken advantage of several gaping holes for monster rushes throughout the season. So, in a battle between a successful pass-blocking team and a dominant run-blocking team, I will perhaps take the easy way out by going with the team running off the steam of a frenzied senior day crowd.

Advantage: Penn State