MADISON, Wis. — Saturday started to look all too familiar for Penn State. The starting quarterback was hurt. So were some other important players. And the early lead the Nittany Lions built had evaporated.

This time it was QB Drew Allar, OL Anthony Donkoh and DE Dani Dennis-Sutton at Wisconsin. In 2021 it was QB Sean Clifford, safety Jaquan Brisker, defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher and Iowa.

That version of the Nittany Lions fell apart. They lost to the Hawkeyes and never recovered, losing five more games after that one to finish 7-6.

On Saturday, it seemed as if everything was ready to fall apart for a program on the verge of finally making the College Football Playoff.

But it didn’t.

Instead, Penn State took a big step after a 28-13 win over the Badgers by overcoming the loss of its most important player.

There’s plenty of credit to go around. There’s James Franklin’s management of the game that put the team in position to succeed without Allar. And offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s play-calling with a different quarterback on the field.

But, most importantly there was Beau Pribula, the backup quarterback who had every reason to fail — after Allar suffered an apparent leg injury toward the end of the first half — and instead found more success than anyone could have expected. Well, anyone outside the locker room.

“I have a ton of confidence in Beau,” Franklin said. “… He’s universally respected in our locker room from his teammates and coaches. Not surprised one bit. Not surprised one bit that he was able to manufacture yards and points for us when we needed it most.”

It wasn’t just Franklin, either. Wide receiver Liam Clifford, who finished with three catches for 40 yards — all of which came from Pribula — never doubted him.

It helps that he may know the junior quarterback better than just about anyone else on the roster.

“I live with Beau,” Clifford said. “That’s my guy. We’re best friends. We’ve lived together for three years. So immediately, he was warming up, I saw Drew wasn’t gonna go, and I went up to him. We just locked eyes and smiled at each other like it’s go time. It’s something we’ve talked about for years now. It was fun to be able to go out there and do it with him and allow other people to see what he’s capable of.”

Pribula’s numbers back up the anecdotal evidence and confidence, too. He completed 11 of his 13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown and ran six times for 28 yards.

But he wasn’t the only one who came up big. There might not have been a bigger moment in the game than the one Jaylen Reed produced. The Nittany Lions safety took an interception back for a touchdown in the third quarter to give his team a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Reed also is helping replace one of the most talented players on the team. Safety K.J. Winston has been out of the lineup for more than a month with a long-term injury.

Making that play when he did was just another of the several that helped get the team rolling in the right direction.

“I think that was a big play in the game to swing the momentum,” Franklin said about the interception. “I think from that point on we were really able to take control of the game, specifically on offense and defense.”

Reed and the rest of the team overcame obstacles Saturday and have for most of the season. It’s easy to say it’s a fluke when it happens once or twice. But this is now a theme with this group.

“Just a gutsy win,” Franklin added. “On the road against a team that’s really trending in a real positive direction, tough environment to play in. Just a gutsy win. You lose your starting quarterback. You lose your starting d-end, you lose your starting offensive tackle, next man up. No excuses. I just thought was a gutsy culture win.”

Saturday is excellent proof of that. But there will be no bigger test than the next one.

Because it’s time for Ohio State to roll into town. Penn State’s proverbial Boogeyman. The team that keeps Franklin and his program from getting over the hump.

Maybe Allar will be healthy and ready to go, or maybe it will be Pribula leading the way.

Regardless of who it is, this team feels different, good different.

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