Sep 23, 2017; Iowa City, IA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) jumps over Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Joshua Jackson (15) and defensive back Amani Hooker (27) as Nittany Lions wide receiver Juwan Johnson (84) looks to block during the fourth quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Penn State won 21-19. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Today, we continue our series of the best Penn State football wins over 2023 opponents with Iowa. Penn State’s best wins over the Hawkeyes have come at the price of some heartache as well. The two schools met nine times before the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten, with Penn State winning six matchups.
Starting conference play, it seemed the Nittany Lions would continue this advantage, winning four of their first five contests with the Hawkeyes. But then the trouble started. Iowa dominated the series in the early 2000s. Some of the major letdowns include the infamous 6-4 game and a heartbreaking last-second loss in 2008 that cost the Nittany Lions a shot at the national championship.
Since 2011 Penn State has won most of the matchups, but the last contest in 2021 left a bad taste in the mouths of Nittany Lions fans. Penn State will look to cleanse that in this year’s matchup in Happy Valley under the lights of a Beaver Stadium White Out.
However, of all the matchups, one game and resulting Nittany Lion victory stands out in this series. This would be the 2017 contest in Kinnick.
Saquon Barkley was an inhuman force for Penn State football
A game in Kinnick Stadium is never easy. The fans are raucous and sit right on top of the players. The stadium’s design literally puts the stands as close to the sidelines as possible. If it is a night game, then the atmosphere turns up tenfold.
That is precisely what the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions faced in 2017. Both teams entered the contest undefeated, and the Hawkeyes had developed a reputation for upsets. Iowa’s last three home contests against top-five foes all ended in victories. The Hawkeyes looked to make Penn State its latest victim on this late September night.
But Saquon Barkley did his part and then some to ensure the Nittany Lions would be on the winning end. He finished the game with 211 yards on the ground with a touchdown, and added 12 receptions for 94 yards. His standout play of the night was this beauty that has gone down in Penn State football folklore.
It took all 60 minutes to beat Iowa
The game was quite sluggish to start. The teams traded punts through most of the first half, with Penn State converting a field goal, missing another, and getting a safety to lead 5-0 late in the second quarter.
Then Trace McSorley would throw an interception, setting up the Hawkeyes deep in Nittany Lion territory. Iowa converted the opportunity into a touchdown to take a 7-5 halftime lead.
The Nittany Lions led 15-7 after three frames. But then the Iowa offense finally woke up. Running back Akrum Wadley scored two touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air, giving Iowa a 19-15 lead with just one minute and 42 seconds remaining in the game.
It looked like the Hawkeyes would pull another upset against a top-five foe. That is, until McSorley, Barkley, and the Penn State offense went on one magical final drive. Juwan Johnson’s touchdown catch, the first of his career, silenced the Kinnick crowd as time expired.
Penn State won and kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive for several more weeks, until back-to-back close losses against Ohio State and Michigan State dashed those dreams. But the Nittany Lions finished the season with an 11-2 record and a win over Washington in the Fiesta Bowl. Despite the season not ending in a playoff berth, the game against Iowa is one Nittany Lion fans still remember fondly.
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Oct 19, 2019; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Pat Freiermuth (87) reacts to a touchdown run by quarterback Sean Clifford (14) against the Michigan Wolverines during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY S
The Penn State football team has now gone three straight days a landing a commitment. Brady O’Hara has made his commitment to the Nittany Lions. He is a top 10 prospect in Pennsylvania. The 2025 class has added DJ McClary and Tiqwai Hayes in the past two days. Both players are part of Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class. The impact of the whiteout continues to prove its value on the recruiting trail.
Penn State football lands top 10 prospect in PA
Brady O’Hara is a four-star recruit in the 2025 class and he plays his high school football at North Catholic High School located in Pittsburgh, PA. He held offers from Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, UConn, and Penn State. Then, on Tuesday morning he announced his commitment to Penn State on his social media channels.
O’Hara is currently ranked as the No. 8 prospect in Pennsylvania.
Brady O’Hara plays both sides of the ball
O’Hara is listed as an athlete on 247sports because he plays both tight end and defensive end. It will be interesting to see what position he will choose to play when he gets on campus. But after watching Tyler Warren and Chop Robinson on Saturday night either position would fit him well.
Either way, he has shown that he can be successful regardless of where he lines up on the field. He can be a great red zone target or a dominant defensive end. Both positions at Penn State have developed well over the years which helped their case land this top 10 prospect in Pennsylvania.
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Penn State wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (1) runs after a catch during the first half of a White Out game at Beaver Stadium Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa.
It was the elephant in the room of last week for the Penn State football team. Would revenge be on the minds of players during the Iowa game? Of course, this was produced from the 2021 matchup between Penn State and Iowa. When several Nittany Lions went down with injuries during the game, Iowa fans and members of their coaching staff mocked Penn State. The Hawkeyes special teams coach LeVar Woods even flopped on the ground at one point making fun of the injured players. After the game, we learned that revenge was certainly on the Dani Dennis-Sutton, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and other’s minds Saturday night. James Franklin reminded the team what message they needed to send Saturday night.
Penn State football players were seeking revenge against Iowa
One of the best parts of college football is what goes around comes around. One year you might beat a team by 30 points and the next you lose to them by 30. But how you act during those wins usually stands out. In Iowa City in 2021, James Franklin and his coaching staff took note of how they were treated. They got their sweet revenge on Saturday night defeating Iowa 31-0.
Sutton said, “[Franklin] showed us some of the same things they did in 2021 with the special teams coordinator on the sideline flopping and stuff like that. Their head coach was saying stuff that they smelled a rat or something when some of our guys went down.”
It’s amazing that even a player like Dani Dennis-Sutton who wasn’t on the team in 2021 could find motivation from this. This shows how meaningful the brotherhood of being a Penn State football player truly is.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith also remembered 2021
One of the players who was part of that game in 2021 was WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith. He remembered that game very well. Following the Nittany Lions’ victory on Saturday night, Lambert-Smith spoke about the mindset James Franklin instilled heading into the whiteout game.
Lambert-Smith said, “I would just say we know what was at stake. We knew what happened a few years ago. We just locked in. We put a great week of preparation together.”
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Sep 23, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) gestures from the line of scrimmage during the first quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports
And just like that, we’re through a third of the college football season. It’s hard to argue that Penn State football isn’t one of the most dominant teams in the sport through four games. A major piece of the success so far in 2023 has been new starting QB Drew Allar. The sophomore has been a rock for Penn State this year, and has led the Nittany Lions’ offense to be one of the most successful in the nation. But what has led to Penn State’s offensive success this season? After the Iowa game, we asked the Penn State QB to break down what he’s seen from his unit so far.
Hope springs eternal for the Nittany Lions’ offense
There’s plenty of optimism around the Penn State offense after four games this year. Most recently, we watched the Nittany Lions dismantle the No. 24 Iowa Hawkeyes 31-0 in the White Out Saturday evening. So far, we’ve seen Penn State pick apart secondaries and roll over opponents with the ground game.
Penn State currently leads the Big Ten in scoring and is second to Maryland in total yards. The Nittany Lions have scored at least 30 points in 11 straight games, the longest streak in the nation. Even when it hasn’t looked sharp, the offense has still been able to put up points in bunches. And that is perhaps the most impressive thing about the Penn State offense this year – there’s a wide belief that we haven’t seen the unit peak yet.
Drew Allar leads the way
The catalyst for the offense so far is undoubtedly QB Drew Allar. The 19-year-old has looked like a seasoned veteran despite only making his fourth start Saturday night. He looks in command on the field, and it shows. Allar, who today was named to the Davey O’Brien Award watch list for the nation’s top QB, has 903 yards and 8 touchdowns on a 67% completion rate this year.
Allar’s most impressive stat line, however, is the lack of one. The Penn State QB has yet to turn the ball over this season, something that young first-time starters with rockets for arms are apt to do. Even when he hasn’t been on his A game, Allar has not put the football in harm’s way.
As a result, the rest of the team has followed suit. Penn State football is the only team in the nation that has yet to turn the ball over. This is a stat that will most certainly end at some point, but it speaks to the poise and maturity that Drew Allar has already brought to the field.
Penn State QB grades offense’s play through four games
The Penn State offense has at times looked equal parts lethal and methodical. But most of all, the offense has looked clean and efficient. The Nittany Lions have kept Allar clean (only two sacks allowed) and have avoided the big mistakes. According to Drew Allar, this has been the winning formula thus far.
“I think we’re doing a really good job right now of being efficient and staying on track,” Allar told us after the Iowa game. “We do get into situations where we kind of hurt ourselves with penalties. And I think we’ll continue to learn and grow from those mistakes that we make. But I think we’re doing a really good job right now just taking what the defense has given us, taking care of the ball, which is the biggest thing for the offense, and controlling the ball. So, I think we’re just doing a really good job of being very efficient.”
But now, the tape on the Nittany Lion offense grows by the game. If Penn State football is to continue riding the wave and reach its goals for this season, the offense must continue to evolve. After all, the slate won’t get any easier, and the biggest challenges still lie ahead.
Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on our social media. Also, be sure to check out our new site shop. It’s due to your support that we can become one of the market’s fastest-growing Penn State sports outlets!