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MADISON, Wis. — Running back Darrion Dupree accelerated with the ball firmly in his hands, bursting past the chains as he turned a second-and-19 near Wisconsin's goal line into another set of downs. It was a crucial conversion as the Badgers pushed to steal a comeback win over then-No. 13 Penn State at Beaver Stadium. Dupree secured the pass, played off his blocks and surged down the sideline as Wisconsin trailed by three points with less than two minutes to go. Three plays later, quarterback Colton Joseph found tight end Jacob Harris for a 72-yard go-ahead touchdown. Finishing a curl pattern on the opposite side of the field, Dupree watched UW's knockout blow land after fighting on the ropes all night. "I just knew I had to get my job done," Dupree said of Wisconsin's push toward a 24-20 victory over the Nittany Lions. "I felt like if everybody else gets their job done, we'll make some plays." Dupree was a steady source of production for the Badgers, who called upon the third-year back time and time again with the game on the line. He totaled 96 all-purpose yards on 12 touches, making his impact as a runner and pass catcher in the matchup. As the Badgers looked to storm back into contention, they fed Dupree's hot hand however they could. And he met the increased workload with regularly relentless play in a few of the game's biggest moments.  "It was a grown ass man's performance," head coach Luke Fickell said. "...He had to handle himself physically, but he also had to handle himself emotionally." Dupree reached another gear in the fourth quarter on Saturday night, securing four plays of 10 yards or more. He picked up a head of steam on the ground and was a constant receiving threat out of the backfield. He helped Wisconsin get ahead of the chains – and moved them himself when absolutely necessary. The Badgers found their footing across the second half against Penn State, and Dupree powered some of the emerging momentum as the difference on the scoreboard – once reading 17-0 – grew closer. "Just everybody knowing their job and playing fast," Dupree said of the late scoring push. "That's how I feel like we beat them." His performance wasn't without a blemish or two. The most obvious was a drop on a wide open screen pass on third down, rendering a plethora of green grass ahead unattainable. But Dupree wasn't provided a chance to let the mistake spiral. "It was really my teammates, they were really helping me out," Dupree said. "I was pretty down about it, I'm not going to lie. And my teammates, coach (Jayden) Everett was helping me out and saying, 'Don't worry about it. You've got so much time left to make a difference in the game." He turned that misstep into the fuel for powerful carries, helping push the Badgers to an improbable finish in their first Big Ten bout. He's one of several names that needed to overcome a mistake in the comeback effort. Joseph shook off three interceptions as he sought the confidence to complete two straight touchdown drives in the final seven minutes of the game. Harris was undeterred by his pair of false starts prior to a game-winning haul toward the end zone. "We know we're a team that has to grind things out," Fickell said. "We're a team that has to grow. We're a team that is still continuing to climb." Wisconsin is preparing for the next stop on its journey with another grueling matchup ahead. The Badgers face a Michigan State team under the tutelage of head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who builds his programs on a foundation of physicality. Establishing the tone will be crucial, and Dupree's relentlessness as a runner may be instrumental in that pursuit for the Badgers. "When I get my chance to get into the game, make the best of it," Dupree said. The running back did so in perhaps the biggest win of Fickell's tenure. He'll be called upon to do the same in many more battles to come.