College Football
Penn State Welcomes Iowa
After escaping last weekend with a victory at Indiana, Penn State welcomes Iowa this weekend. This game is military appreciation day.
Last weekend, Penn State snapped its two game losing streak. The Nittany Lions desperately needed a victory and they got one. Even though they’re back in the win column the game wasn’t pretty. Penn State made some mistakes (which will happen) that literally almost cost them the game.
One thing is clear: special teams and overall play need to step it up.
Penn State
From the start, Trace McSorley was going to be the guy in charge of this offense. That hasn’t changed. Though he was sacked three times and didn’t record a touchdown, McSorley managed to contribute 220 yards via 19 completed passes. He also didn’t disappoint in the running game as usual with 19 rushes for 127 yards. Both of his touchdowns came on the ground.
Miles Sanders didn’t really have his best game but he still fought hard on the ground. On 15 rushes he gained 75 yards. K.J Hamler continues to be Penn State’s star receiver as he had 4 receptions for 27 yards. However, on this day, Juwan Johnson led everyone in the receiving category for Penn State. Johnson finished with two receptions for 72 yards.
Iowa
The Iowa Hawkeyes come into this match-up on Saturday sitting in second place in the Big Ten West. The Hawkeyes also have a stellar defense that is not to overlooked. It is ranked No. 3 in the nation among division one teams and is the second Big Ten team in the top five as Michigan is No. 1.
This game will be no easy task for Penn State. The Hawkeyes are 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten conference play. Did I mention Kirk Ferentz is the longest current tenured coach in NCAA history? He has his team riding a three game win streak into Happy Valley which also includes a 23-0 trouncing of the Maryland Terrapins.
Nate Stanley, Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback, has been pretty solid thus far. However, last weekend against Maryland, he didn’t play his best game. Stanley went 11 for 22 in passes (only 50 percent) for 88 yards. He also had one touchdown and one interception.
Rushing wise, Ivory Kelly-Martin had 24 rushes for 99 yards. However, he didn’t record a touchdown. Furthermore, Mehki Sargent also had 10 rushes for 54 yards.
Penn State and Iowa All-Time Series
The Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes have met a total of 27 times and Penn State currently has the advantage in the win department with 15 to Iowa’s 12. Currently, Penn State has a four game win streak (2011-2017). Penn State’s biggest victory came back in 1994 when Penn State won 61-21. The Hawkeyes largest victory came back in the year 2010 when they won 24-3.
Last season, Penn State came from behind to defeat the Hawkeyes at Kinnick stadium. Trace McSorley threw a touchdown to Juwan Johnson. That play stunned the Hawkeye faithful and it’s a play that Kirk Ferentz and his crew have stuck in the back of their heads.
Conclusion
Penn State welcomes Iowa and if Penn State wants to win this game, they can’t play like they have the past three games. Iowa will bring the pressure on defense, that’s evident. The offense will need to fix the holes and the special teams will need to find a new balance since field goal kicking hasn’t been up to par as of late.
Additionally, Iowa is riding on momentum so expect them to feed off of that. Penn State got the victory last week at Indiana. However, some tough coaching decisions have led to some almost sketchy conclusions that have had Nittany Lion fans on their heels. Expect for this to be a great game but at the same time, expect it to be close. Penn State and Iowa kickoff at 3:30 p.m on ESPN.
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Photo Credit to Penn State Alumni Association via Flickr
