Hawkeyes upset Nittany Lions again
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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Not too many nationwide thought what took place at Kinnick Stadium last November could possibly occur once again inside Beaver Stadium with a sea of white.
Well, the Iowa Hawkeyes just gained some major recognition after beating No. 5 Penn State, 21-10, on Saturday night.
Not only did this mark the second straight year Iowa has beaten Penn State, but it was also the second consecutive time the Hawkeyes have done so with the Nittany Lions ranked in the top five nationally. It was also Iowa's first road win over a top 10 team since 2002 when the Hawkeyes beat Michigan, 34-9.
"I'm just really proud of our football team - all of our coaches are," Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. "The effort that our guys played with, the determination, was really outstanding and the team really proved to be a very resilient bunch tonight because there was nothing easy about what happened out there."
The start of this contest would've suggested something quite different. Right out of the gate, the Iowa offense went three-and-out, and Penn State's first offensive play from scrimmage was a 79-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Daryll Clark to wideout Chaz Powell. After an interception thrown by Iowa signal-caller Ricky Stanzi where the ball went off the foot of intended target Colin Sandeman, the Nittany Lions responded with a 20-play drive resulting in a Collin Wagner field goal.
But Penn State's scoring stopped there.
The Hawkeyes would go on and score 21 unanswered points, 16 of which came in the fourth quarter alone. Perhaps no play was bigger than the one giving Iowa the lead, as junior defensive end Adrian Clayborn blocked a Jeremy Boone punt and proceeded to take it 53 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
While all three phases proved critical in the victory, it was the play of the Hawkeye defense that once again set the tempo for the evening. Clark had the one passing touchdown for Penn State, but he also finished the game with three interceptions, all of which came in the second half.
"What we emphasize as a defense is just six seconds, as hard as you can go, and as long as we're doing that, we're going to keep playing our defense," junior defensive tackle Christian Ballard said.
Iowa's first points of the game came courtesy of the defense as well. After pinning the Nittany Lions deep in their own territory in the second quarter, sophomore defensive end Broderick Binns knocked the ball free from Clark in the end zone, and the play resulted in a safety for the Hawkeyes.
And once Iowa got the lead it spent three quarters searching for, the defense put on a clinic with three turnovers. Senior linebackers Pat Angerer and A.J. Edds both came up with interceptions, with Angerer's setting up a 13-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman running back Adam Robinson.
"Initially, my offensive line got me to that point and got me past the D-Line," Robinson said. "I was able to break a couple of tackles and score."
But if Clayborn's blocked punt was the game's biggest play, then the close second biggest came after Robinson's score. After a 15-yard penalty was tacked onto the Nittany Lions' ensuing kickoff return, Penn State had the ball on Iowa's 36-yard line.
Penn State running back Evan Royster proceeded to pick up a first down, but had the ball stripped out by Angerer and then recovered by junior defensive tackle Karl Klug. Royster was held to 69 net rushing yards on 17 carries.
"I got cut on that play and I was kind of pissed because I knew I was going to get chewed out on film, so I figured I got to do something," Angerer said. "Fortunately, I saw his ball hanging loose, and I punched it, and it went out."
Iowa returns home for two straight games, with the homestand starting Oct. 3 against Arkansas State at 11 a.m.
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