Iowa vs. Penn State: Hawkeyes' Defense Dominates in Happy Valley

A blocked punt, turnovers, and a dominating defense allowed Iowa to stun Penn State in front of a whiteout in Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

It all started so well for Penn State. On the team's first play from scrimmage, Darryl Clark threw a 79-yard touchdown pass to receiver Chaz Powell. On their next drive, the Lions controlled the ball for more than 10 minutes and marched down the field to the Iowa 11 yard line.

The Nittany Lions seemed ready to avenge a 24-23 loss that ended their national title hopes just a year ago. The offense was moving the ball, the defense looked fierce, and the over 109,000 fans in attendance were in a frenzy.

Then Iowa’s defense clamped down.

The Penn State offense didn’t give the crowd anything else to cheer about as the Iowa defense dominated for the rest of the game. The next drive resulted in a safety for Iowa, whose defensive line manhandled an inexperienced Penn State offensive line.

Iowa defensive end Broderick Binns overwhelmed right tackle DeOn’tae Pannell so badly that he was benched after allowing Binns to cause the safety. It made no difference to Binns, who proceeded to manhandle backup Nerrow McCormick.

After posting 147 yards in the first two drives, Penn State recorded minus six yards in the rest of the first half. An equally stingy Penn State defense held the lead, though. Iowa’s offense never entered the red zone during the first half and managed just a field goal.

The score at halftime was 10-5 Penn State.

The key play in the game was an Iowa touchdown on a blocked punt early in the fourth quarter. It gave the Hawkeyes their first lead at 11-10.

After that, the story was Penn State turnovers.  

On the ensuing drive, Darryl Clark threw his second interception of the game. A 38-yard return gave Iowa the ball at the Penn State 24, and led to a touchdown.

Penn State came back with a 36-yard kickoff return by Chaz Powell and a 15-yard personal foul penalty that gave Penn State the ball at the Iowa 36, but Evan Royster fumbled on the next play.

The Penn State defense made a stop, but Darryl Clark threw his third interception of the game three plays later, setting up a field goal for Iowa that would seal the game.

While many are calling this game an upset, it probably shouldn’t come as a major surprise that the Hawkeyes won. Iowa has dominated the series in this decade, winning seven of its last eight games against Penn State.

Thanks to a suffocating defense and a big play on special teams, Iowa has put itself in position to challenge for the Big Ten championship.

Alternatively, with their chances at a national title already gone and their offense looking mediocre, the Nittany Lions will have to get it in gear. They can still win the Big Ten if they get some help, but if the offense continues to play as it did on Saturday, they seem to have a long way to go.