Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit think Wisconsin may be ‘trap game’ for Penn State football

Penn State football returns to the field Saturday after a week of rest, ready to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison. But despite being a comfortable favorite on the road, two of college football’s most prominent personalities are warning James Franklin and the Nittany Lions not to let down their guard.

“Penn State, James Franklin off a bye. You think it’s a good time to get healthy, but he’s been [5-7] off of byes since he’s been at Penn State,” said College GameDay host Kirk Herbstreit on Saturday morning’s edition of the show. “Go back to the USC game. They started slow. [You] can’t do that at Camp Randall. They’re starting to play a lot better.

“This whole game is about Penn State being able to stop that run game and get Wisconsin into obvious passing downs. And they have Ohio State next week. But, they have to lock in on Madison.”

Penn State football is 1-3 in road contests following bye weeks in the James Franklin era. The sole win was against Maryland in 2019, with two losses to Michigan and one to Minnesota.

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

“I think it’s a little bit of a trap game,” Nick Saban said. “Wisconsin’s defense has been playing really well. Penn State must stop the run and make Wisconsin’s quarterback win the game.”

Wisconsin has only allowed 16 points over its last three games while scoring 117 during that span. The Badgers have the No. 35 rushing offense in the country and have averaged 235 passing yards per game since Tyler Vane Dyke suffered a season-ending injury against Alabama in September.

The Nittany Lions are currently favored by 6.5 points. Kickoff in Madison is set for 7:30 p.m. on NBC.

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