Devastating Loss to Iowa Crushes Penn State College Football Student Body

It was a cold and rainy day in Happy Valley last Saturday as the Nittany Lions prepared to face the Hawkeyes. Everyone was hyped and despite the weather, the atmosphere was exciting.

ESPN's College Gameday was broadcasting outside of Beaver stadium that morning. Students who attended the College Gameday taping from 10am-12pm immediately began tailgating for the 8pm game against Iowa.

Anticipating a win, the Lions started quickly in the first quarter with a touchdown. It was only downhill from there. The Nittany Lions didn't do well for the remainder of the game.

PSU quarterback Daryll Clark threw three interceptions during the fight against Iowa. This, in addition to other mistakes, led the Hawkeyes to take the victory over the Lions 21-10.

This was a real heartbreaker for the Lions, considering that Iowa was the only team the Lions lost to last year, eliminating them from a chance at the national title.

Dedicated fans, who cheered the Lions throughout the whole rainy game, were crushed as time ran out in the fourth quarter.

When asked what they thought about their team's performance that night, students had much to say.

"I can't believe that we lost. Clark threw three interceptions! I don't know if it was the adrenaline rush that threw him off or what, but that was a huge part of why we lost the game," says freshman Bill Z.

But you can't blame the loss on Daryll. There were many other contributing factors to Saturday night's loss.

Sean B. says, "The receivers couldn't complete a pass to save their lives! The whole thing was somewhat embarrassing."

"The defensive line needs to do their job a little better if the Lions want to win", says Amelia K.

Everyone thought the Lions would be determined to win at all costs following the last time we played the Hawkeyes. For the past few weeks, all anyone was talking about was revenge over Iowa. I've seen interviews where Daryll Clark took it upon himself to say that it was a personal loss against Iowa last year and he wants redemption this year.

It may have been the weather, the injuries and illnesses of some of the team members, or just plain nerves that came over the Lions to result in Saturday's loss. Regardless, they are going to need to go harder and become hungrier at practices in order to produce wins over other opponents this season.

Although the Nittany Lions failed their first test this year, there will be more to come. I am confident the Lions will bounce back after this terrible weekend and practice hard this week in anticipation for Illinois.