STATE COLLEGE — Surrounded by a swarm of jubilant Penn State teammates and coaches yelling and pumping fists, senior defensive tackle Jordan Hill found his way to the stands to share one last moment in Beaver Stadium with his father.

The last game in the careers of Hill and the Nittany Lions’ other seniors went down to the wire, but the 24-21 win in overtime over Wisconsin put an uplifting exclamation point on a season unlike any other in college football.

Sam Ficken’s 37-yard field goal put Penn State up for good in the extra period, before Wisconsin’s Kyle French attempt from 44 yards went wide left to seal a rousing victory on Senior Day in Happy Valley.

“It’s a storybook ending,” Hill said, wearing his Penn State letterman jacket as a player one final time. “The perfect ending to a bad beginning.”

After French’s miss, the blue-and-white denizens who stayed until the bitter end on a cold night let out a collective roar, as if unleashing a season’s worth of pent-up emotions. Flashes from camera phones went off through the stadium to capture the scene.

Designated also-rans by most preseason prognosticators after the NCAA levied strict sanctions on the program in the offseason for the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, the Nittany Lions (8-4, 6-2 Big Ten) instead rallied to win eight of 10 to finish the year.

“This is a very special team because of the players and because of these seniors,” first-year coach Bill O’Brien said.

Badgers star running back Montee Ball ran for 111 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, and set the NCAA record with his 79th career score.