Penn State Falls for the 1st Time this Season, Loses to No. 3 Iowa on the Road
The Penn State Nittany Lions traveled to Kinnick Stadium to face the Iowa Hawkeyes in a battle of the unbeaten Big Ten.
Penn State’s defense took a hit early in the first quarter with defensive tackle PJ Mustipher going down with a left knee injury.
Penn State’s first snap got cut short with Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford throwing an interception on a scramble.
Penn State’s secondary held the Hawkeyes out of the end zone and took a 34-yard field goal made by Iowa kicker Caleb Shudak to take a three-point lead.
The Nittany Lions marched down the field finding passing opportunities with wide receiver Parker Washington and tight end Brenton Strange.
A nine-play drive wrapped up with running back Noah Cain rushing the line to give the Nittany Lions a four point advantage over the Hawkeyes.
Penn State’s defense did not let up on pressure on Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras, who was sacked for the second time of the game without an opportunity to continue the possession.
Iowa collapsed the pocket on Clifford, who threw his second interception of the quarter intended for double-covered wide receiver Jahan Dotson.
On the following possession, Petras’ tipped pass fell into the hands of Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker. The Blue and White rallied on the interception as Clifford crossed the end zone for a four-yard rushing touchdown.
Injuries continued for the Nittany Lions in the first quarter. On the offense, wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith walked off the field favoring his left ankle. The defense saw Brisker go down with an undisclosed upper body injury.
Head coach James Franklin walked onto the field to check on the preseason All-American, who continued to play in the first half.
On its next drive, Penn State could not reach the end zone and settled for a 32-yard field goal made by Stout to have a 14-point margin against the Hawkeyes 17-3.
Iowa’s offense struggled to make a play in the passing game but benefited from a pass interference penalty called on Penn State cornerback Daequan Hardy. The penalty was Penn State’s first of the game and provided Iowa with an opportunity to capitalize on the conversion.
Petras stayed patient in the pocket under Penn State pressure and completed a 22-yard pass up the middle to junior wide receiver Nico Ragaini, setting up the Hawkeyes in Penn State territory.
A five-plus minute possession capped off with senior wide receiver Charlie Jones leaping toward the pylon for his sixth career touchdown as a Hawkeye. Penn State’s lead shrunk 14-10.
With 7:02 left in the first half, Clifford headed to the Penn State locker room with an undisclosed injury and backup Ta’Quan Roberson, the redshirt sophomore from Orange, New Jersey, came on the field.
The Nittany Lions failed to progress forward with three penalties on a -16 yard drive. Roberson attempted to snap the ball with a clap signal which was inaudible with the hostile environment in Kinnick Stadium.
More injuries piled up on Penn State’s defense as safety Jonathan Sutherland walked off the field at the end of the second quarter escorted by trainers.
Penn State started off the second half holding off Iowa by a seven-point margin. Clifford remained on the sideline without pads and a hope to return.
Both the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions were kept out of the end zone during the third quarter. Kickers Stout and Shudak drilled 44-yard and 48-yard field goals respectively for Penn State and Iowa that made the score 20-13.
A big play for Iowa during the fourth quarter came with a 42-yard dime from Petras to wide receiver Keagan Johnson. However, Penn State’s secondary boxed out the Hawkeyes from gaining another six points. Instead, Shudak’s field goal placed Iowa within four points of tying Penn State.
With a chance to respond, Roberson and the Penn State offense made small plays inching downfield, but a false start penalty on third down finished off the possession.
Iowa snatched the lead from Penn State for the first time all game with a touchdown by Ragaini to make the score 23-20.
Trailing by three on crunch time, the Nittany Lions could not convert on fourth down and turned the ball over on downs to Petras and the Hawkeyes in opponent territory.
Penn State defensive end Jesse Luketa forced a tackle for loss, giving Penn State a chance to answer with 2 minutes and 38 seconds left in the game.
Three incomplete passes intended for Dotson and wide receiver Cam Sullivan Brown pushed Penn State to take a risk and go on fourth down again. Roberson’s pass instead found Hawkeye defensive back Matt Hankins’ hands.
With 46 seconds left in the game, Iowa punted to Dotson, who signaled a fair catch on Penn State's 8 yardline, but did not have enough time to respond further.
Iowa defeated Penn State 23-20 with a sea of Black and Gold faithful storming the field. Penn State’s loss marked the Nittany Lions’ 14th loss to the Hawkeyes in the organization’s history.
Emma Holtz is a second-year majoring in public relations. To contact her, email exh5337@psu.edu.
