Penn State Football: Nittany Lions Will Keep Winning Streak Alive vs. Iowa

Head coach Bill O'Brien and the Penn State Nittany Lions have been rolling in the last month of play, and they'll continue that trend over the Iowa Hawkeyes in a Big Ten matchup this weekend.

The Nittany Lions are coming off a well-earned bye week, and seem to be rested up to face a formidable Iowa team that has only given up 17.2 points per game this season.

The Hawkeyes sit at 4-2 and are undefeated in the Big Ten, but that will change come Saturday when Iowa can't get its passing attack going and Penn State's defense continues to build confidence.

Senior quarterback James Vandenberg has struggled mightily this season, having only thrown two touchdowns and three interceptions on the season. Just 1,134 passing yards in six games is an awful average, and it'll take much more to top the Nittany Lions.

On top of that, Iowa's defense has given their offense possessions that they've been unable to take advantage of. Out of 11 takeaways this season for the Hawkeyes, they have just 13 points to come from them.

Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti is having himself an enormous season, and expect him to continue that on Saturday. He leads the team with 57 tackles.

Mauti leads a core group of Penn State defenders that have come together and built a formidable unit despite the offseason sanctions that hit the program.

If Penn State can get off to a hot start, it'll bode well for them. They've yet to give up a single first-quarter point this season, and that's a trend that says a lot about this team's toughness. 

Nittany Lions running back Zach Zwinak leads the team with 317 rushing yards, and he's topped the 100-yard plateau in each of the last two games. 

We all expected this Nittany Lions team to be hapless this season, but they've proven to put together a good team full of great players. 

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