No. 10 PSU Outlasts No. 17 Iowa 17-12 in Slugfest to Remain Undefeated

The No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions remained undefeated by topping the No. 17 Iowa Hawkeyes 17-12 on Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium.

This duel figured to be low-scoring given each team's highly ranked scoring defense. Penn State ranked second, allowing 7.4 points per game, with Iowa in fourth at 8.8.

The most impressive offensive play for the Nittany Lions came early in the second quarter when quarterback Sean Clifford found receiver KJ Hamler for a 22-yard touchdown:

The Nittany Lions hadn't yet played a ranked opponent. The Hawkeyes suffered their first loss of the season last week at No. 16 Michigan but still held the Wolverines to just 10 points.

Iowa entered Saturday 13-6 all-time in home night games (h/t CBS Sports), but it hasn't beaten Penn State in any setting since 2010.

Beating the Hawkeyes was likely necessary for the Nittany Lions' College Football Playoff hopes. The result was especially important heading into their date with No. 16 Michigan next week.

Notable Performances

Penn State QB Sean Clifford: 117 yards, 1 TD on 12-of-24 passing; 16 carries, 52 yards

Penn State RB Noah Cain: 22 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD

Penn State RB Journey Brown: four carries, 16 yards

Penn State WR KJ Hamler: seven catches, 61 yards, 1 TD

Iowa QB Nate Stanley: 286 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT on 25-of-43 passing; six carries, minus-five yards

Iowa RB Tyler Goodson: eight carries, 35 yards; one catch, nine yards

Iowa RB Mekhi Sargent: nine carries, 18 yards; one catch, 10 yards

Iowa WR Brandon Smith: seven catches, 86 yards, 1 TD

Iowa WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette: five catches, 72 yards

PSU Overcomes Iowa's Stout Defense to Remain Undefeated

The Hawkeyes defensive unit was highly regarded coming into this game, as mentioned above, ranking fourth in scoring defense and fifth in total defense. That, paired with how traditionally tough Iowa is to play at home, made it a tough outing for Penn State's offense.

Clifford's performance wasn't a memorable one, but the sophomore quarterback did just enough to preserve the Nittany Lions' unbeaten season.

With 9:22 left in the fourth quarter and PSU nursing a 10-6 lead, Jaquan Brisker picked off Nate Stanley to set up Penn State at the Iowa 35-yard line. Clifford then led the Nittany Lions on a four-minute touchdown drive, including running for 11 yards on a 3rd-and-10 to avoid a three-and-out.

Running back Noah Cain punched in a five-yard TD to put the game just out of reach:

Late in the third quarter, Penn State found the end zone three times. The first came when Clifford connected with tight end Pat Freiermuth for what was initially called a touchdown. The play was reviewed and the call was controversially reversed:

Following that, Clifford and running back Journey Brown each ran in touchdowns, but each was called back for offensive holding. Luckily for PSU, it didn't end up mattering.

Prior to facing Iowa, the Nittany Lions had beaten every opponent except for Pittsburgh by at least 28 points. Having to grind out this victory will serve as a good gut check for Penn State heading into a much tougher stretch including No. 16 Michigan next week and No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 23.

What's Next?

Iowa will try to bounce back next Saturday afternoon when Purdue visits Kinnick Stadium, while Penn State will look to keep rolling against Michigan at Beaver Stadium.