Morelli leads Penn State upset of Wisconsin, 38-7

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Wide smiles broke out on the faces of the Penn State Nittany Lions after Deon Butler’s 29-yard touchdown catch.

Terrell Golden greeted his teammate on the sideline by jumping high and bumping Butler’s hips.

Penn State was glad to be playing football again.

Anthony Morelli threw for 216 yards and the touchdown to Butler, Rodney Kinlaw ran for 115 yards and another score, and the Nittany Lions capitalized on mistake-prone No. 19 Wisconsin in a 38-7 win Saturday.

“It was getting back to the basics. Just play football,” Golden said. “You don’t work football. You play it.”

Penn State (5-2, 2-2 in the Big Ten Conference) scored on two of three Wisconsin first-half turnovers.

The Badgers (5-2, 2-2) lost their second straight after having won 14 in a row. They gave up 437 yards.

Wisconsin tailback P.J. Hill, who bruised a groin the previous week against Illinois, scored a touchdown but was held to 75 yards in 19 carries, 50 below his season average.

The Nittany Lions generated some good news after a trying week off the field.

Police on Friday charged running back Austin Scott with rape. Scott was suspended by Penn State on Oct. 5.

Coach Joe Paterno has also said he is investigating the possibility that a couple of players were involved in a fight this month. And two Nittany Lions are awaiting trial on criminal charges in connection with an off-campus fight in April.