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Iowa Football: Keys to Defeating Penn State Nittany Lions
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
A look at how the Iowa Hawkeyes can upset Penn State
After a week off to reflect on their near upset of the Wisconsin Badgers, Iowa football is back in action on Saturday with another potential upset. The Hawkeyes travel to Pennsylvania and will take on the 12th ranked Penn State Nittany Lions under the lights on Saturday night.
With three of Iowa’s last four games coming against ranked teams, Iowa will have plenty of chances to pull an upset. That being said, they might not have a better chance than on Saturday. Penn State’s huge win over Ohio State a couple of weeks ago started to gain them national recognition, but there’s still questions about how good of a team they are.
Iowa will have to play their best game of the season to pull the upset, but it is possible. After a week off, Iowa should be fresh, and their improving play over recent weeks should also give them a lot of confidence heading into the game.
Here are three keys to the game if Iowa wants to upset Penn State this weekend.
Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Stop Penn State’s Offense
Penn State owns one of the better offenses in the nation. The 38th ranked scoring offense isn’t afraid to get into shootouts with other teams, and it’s not surprising when looking at the weapons they have. In fact, the Nittany Lions have scored at least 29 points in all but two games this season — held to 10 points by Michigan and 24 points in win over Ohio State.
A week after scoring 62 points, including 45 in the second half, against Purdue and Saquon Barkley being named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, Iowa has a tough task in store. Iowa has only allowed more than 30 points twice this year, but they haven’t faced an explosive offense like Penn State’s.
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As much press as Barkley receives, and rightfully so, quarterback Trace McSorley has taken huge steps in his first full season as a starter.
His 55.2 completion percentage isn’t amazing, but his 12 touchdowns to three interceptions is one of the better ratios in the Big Ten. After not throwing any interceptions in 40 pass attempts as a freshman last year, McSorley is proving that his lack of turnovers is not a fluke. A big reason for his minimal turnovers as a young quarterback is due to Penn State’s receiving core.
Even though DeAndre Thompkins might not suit up, Penn State still has three receivers with 20-plus receptions and Barkley with 14. That means Iowa’s secondary has to perform a lot better than they have in recent weeks so they don’t give up a costly big play.
Brandon Snyder and Miles Taylor need to help Desmond King and Greg Mabin by making sure they don’t let receivers get behind them. Penn State wants to hit a home run on offense, and those are the type of plays that have been costly towards the Hawkeyes this season.
Iowa’s offense has started to play better over recent weeks, but the last thing they want is to get into a high-scoring game with Penn State. Considering Iowa has been held to under 15 points in three of the past five weeks, they’ll be at a big disadvantage if Penn State pushes this game into the 30s.
The Hawkeyes might not be able to stop Penn State’s offense the whole game, but slowing them down early and making McSorley uncomfortable might knock Penn State out of their rhythm on that side of the ball.
Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Go For it on Fourth Down
Kirk Ferentz has to break out of his shell this week and start to be more aggressive in his play calling on fourth down. With three ranked teams still left on the schedule, Ferentz will learn quickly that Iowa doesn’t stand much of a chance without some risky play.
It’s not to say that Iowa should go for it on fourth and 15 from their own 20 yard line, but a fourth and one or two at midfield shouldn’t be a punting situation. For as good as the defense has been for Iowa this year, the offense eventually needs to score points, and punting on fourth and manageable doesn’t help.
It might be beneficial at times to punt it at midfield in a field position game, though. That being said, there have been plenty of times when the play calling became too conservative. The most recent time came against Wisconsin late in the fourth quarter.
On fourth and five, down eight at Wisconsin’s 20 yard line with 5:25 remaining in the game, Ferentz opted towards attempting a field goal instead of going for it. Sure, fourth and five isn’t ideal, but they needed a touchdown even if the field goal went in.
For as good as Iowa’s defense is, ranking 17th in scoring defense, Iowa doesn’t seem to trust them a lot with a potential short field. Punting on fourth and short is evidence to that, even though Iowa has proven to be successfully on fourth down this year. They have converted 5-of-6 tries this year. Plus, C.J. Beathard has mastered the quarterback sneak, making it a perfect play on fourth down.
Not to mention converting fourth downs would give the offense a lot of confidence, as well as change the momentum of the game.
When it comes down to it, Iowa has only gone for it on fourth down six times compared to their opponent’s 17 times, a gap far too big. It’s a reasonable game plan for a team with a mediocre defense, but Iowa needs to trust their stifling defense in a possible short field situation.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Another Good Game From C.J. Beathard
C.J. Beathard’s 17-of-33 passing for 153 yards against Wisconsin isn’t spectacular, but he still put together one of his best overall games this season. The Hawkeyes need Beathard to play like that this week, as well. Beathard stepped up in the pocket when it collapsed, threw the ball away and didn’t turn it over.
The Hawkeyes do have one of the worst receiving cores in the country, which adds more responsibility onto the senior quarterback. In a night game on the road in Happy Valley, it would be normal for Iowa to start the game a little shaky. Penn State is undefeated at home this year and hasn’t lost to an unranked team at home since 2014.
Even though Akrum Wadley and LeShun Daniels Jr have run well over recent weeks, the Hawkeyes might go back to trying to air it out with Beathard. Penn State is allowing quarterbacks to complete 63.3 percent of passes against them, but they do have 23 sacks, as well.
Therefore, more quick throws, which actually worked well against Wisconsin, could be in store for the Hawkeyes. It’s become evident that Beathard can’t sit in the pocket and wait for Jay Scheel or Jerminic Smith to run down the field and get open. Instead, the Hawkeyes need to run quick three-step drops where Beathard can throw quickly and absorb fewer hits.
However, just like every game, Iowa needs to take care of the ball. Beathard hasn’t thrown an interception in two weeks, but Penn State has eight interceptions on the year. Turnovers are costly for any team, but Iowa is just 4-4 in the past two seasons when he throws an interception.
This is Beathard’s chance to be a leader and calm his team down early in the game. In the end, Beathard will need to throw a couple of touchdowns to keep Iowa in the game. His play off the stat sheet was impressive against Wisconsin, and smart play by Beathard could make all the difference for Iowa.
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