Prime Time Hawkeyes

Since the Fall of 2008, the game that I mark on my calendar every football season has been the match-up with the Iowa Hawkeyes. That was the year that they knocked Penn State out of the hunt for the National Championship Game, what's worse was that it was with a last second field goal. I will never forget that night, which is why I look forward to this match-up every time it has been put on the schedule.

If we are being completely honest, Iowa has been our kryptonite in recent years as we hold a 1-7 record in our last 8 games against them. The problem with that record is that a lot of that has been due to the coaching prowess of Kirk Ferentz. He has done a great job over the years preparing his teams to play against Penn State, and some would say that he has a formula of success against JoePa that rivals any other coach. No other coach has had JoePa's number like Ferentz, except for the late Bear Bryant who held a 4-0 record against a much younger JoePa.

The way Iowa has had success against PSU in recent years has been due to a great game plan and execution. If we are being honest, those Iowa teams that have beaten Penn State in recent years were never more athletic, far less talented, and were young, still searching for their identity. They were always the underdogs, fighting from their backs, and playing like they had nothing to lose. They always brought their A game and have had success doing it.The question is, will this Iowa team be able to continue this streak against PSU or have things changed?

The truth is that things have changed, this time Penn State is the underdog and the young team that is searching for their identity. They are just as talented as Iowa, but this Iowa team is far more athletic and talented than those Hawks teams of the past. This year, the Hawkeyes know who they are, they have been through trials together, and have a seasoned vet at Quarterback in Ricky Stanzi. So the question is, what will Ferentz do with more? Will he be able to keep this streak going, or will he be the one with shattered dreams?

This time around, the keys to this game will go down to who has the better game plan and who executes their game plan the best. The match-ups are fairly balanced, but we will go ahead a break them down anyways because I know that there are a lot of you that are still not that familiar with either side yet this year, especially because a lot of you don't really start paying attention until conference play anyways, which include all of you that are still shaking your head in doubt by seeing the results of the Temple game and do not realize that this was a different Temple team.

Here We Go.

Penn State O-Line vs. Iowa D-Line

I'm going to start with this match-up because this will be the key for Penn State. Executing on the line of scrimmage and in the trenches. While Penn State boasts an experienced offensive line and has only allowed 1 sack all year, they have not yet faced a D-line that is as experienced and as deep as Iowa's. Iowa has a first rounder in Adrian Clayborn, who single-handedly willed Iowa to a win last year in Happy Valley. In case you forgot, he was the man with dreads that blocked that punt and returned it for a touchdown all by his lonesome.

The Good News: Penn State is coming off of its best offensive performance all year, opening up running lanes, and protecting the QB. The offense has its best all-around game statistically all year, excluding converting in the red zone this past week.

The Bad News: We lost starting RT Lou Eliades to a torn ACL and Chima Okoli's first start will be against a veteran defense against Iowa.

The Edge: Penn State will still have an advantage running off the right side of the line and away from Clayborn, but still have not proven themselves against a veteran pass-rusher coming off the edge as well. With the experience and depth on their side of the line, I give the advantage here to Iowa.

Penn State Running Backs vs. Iowa Linebackers

Evan Royster is coming off of a career performance after breaking out of an early season slump and still has more to prove. He is playing with more of an edge that I have ever seen him play with throughout his career. If the offensive line gives him some lanes, he could do some serious damage against this Iowa defense. Iowa on the other hand is still breaking in a new line-backing corps as they lost two of their leaders from last year's defense to the NFL in AJ Edds and Pat Angerer, who served as their run defense over the past couple of years.

The Good News: Royster looks fit and was hitting the hole hard last week, hitting on four runs of 10 yards or more throughout the game. Iowa's aggressive pass rush could create some favorable match-ups for the run game with our zone blocking and tendency to run draws.

The Bad News: This Hawkeye team loves to fly to the ball and feeds off of turnovers and Royster has had some early season struggles holding on to the ball. Look for them to rip the ball every single chance they get and they will definitely be focused on shutting down the run and forcing Bolden to throw more often.

The Edge: Penn State's depth and experience at RB definitely holds the advantage over this relatively young LB unit for Iowa, however their overall run defense is a much more favorable match-up. Edge goes to Iowa in this one.

Penn State Wide Receivers vs Iowa Secondary

While Bolden is still young and developing at Quarterback, Iowa is entering the season with a very seasoned secondary. The only problem is that the success Iowa's previous secondaries was in large part due to their linebacker play and getting after the QB. They created a lot of opportunities for their secondary to make plays. The problem is that this year, Penn State's receivers have a lot of size and on the ball skill and Iowa has not had to deal with that in the past. Yeah they have the experience and talent with Prater and Sash, but I believe the size and speed of PSU's receivers will create favorable match-up against Iowa's secondary. I also expect Bolden to play a little bit better having already played at Bama on the road in only his second start.

The Good News: Bolden has developed more chemistry w/his receivers and the coaches are giving him more options with play-calling, which plays greatly to his strengths. The receivers got the advantage with size and speed. Also, last time Iowa faced a spread passing attack, Arizona QB Nick Foles dropped over 300 yards on them through the air.

The Bad News: Iowa has a seasoned secondary and windy conditions have definitely played to their favor in past match-ups.

The Edge: This one actually goes to Penn State, even though they have a freshman QB, I believe he has gained more familiarity with the offense enough to challenge an experienced secondary on the road.

Iowa O-Line vs. Penn State D-Line

This is going to be one of the most interesting match-ups throughout the entire game because in previous match-ups, Iowa's bread and butter was their offensive line. They dominated the line of scrimmage from start to finish, and I believe that this is the year that it has finally caught up to them. They've got three underclassmen on the offensive line, while replacing four starters on the offensive line, and if you include the tight end position, that's five new starters in the trenches. Not to mention, that three of those guys they're replacing are currently starting in the league on Sundays. It will be definitely be a sight to see, especially if Penn State can get consistent pressure on the QB against a unit that has allowed 9 sacks on the year.

The Good News: We have some experience on defense and it seems as if we're finally starting to click on the defensive line. The ends have finally started pushing other and are paced by the motor of Pete Massaro and attitude of Ollie Ogbu. Iowa also has been struggling with disciplined play on the offensive line, as they have been averaging 44 penalty yards a game, the highest in the past 4 seasons for a Kirk Ferentz coached team.

The Bad News: Kirk Ferentz knows how to coach up young offensive linemen and get them ready for big games.

The Edge: Penn State's defensive line gets the edge in this one, looked for them to sack Stanzi at least three times by the end of this one.

Iowa Running Backs vs. Penn State Linebackers

This is actually a match-up that I do not know what I should expect. Iowa is running very thin at the running back position with the departure of Brandon Wegher in the off-season and another season-ending knee injury to Jewel Hampton, but they have always done a good job at plugging in physical running backs. On the other side of the ball, Penn State has a 6 man rotation at linebacker, and it seems as if last game was a sort of coming out party for the likes of Mike Mauti and Nate Stupar as they paced the defense against Temple.

The Good News: Penn State always finds a way to get the job done, that is why they're known as "Linebacker U". Also, Adam Robinson is fairly new at having a heavy workload, and the depth behind Robinson is fairly inexperienced as well.

The Bad News: Adam Robinson keeps his pad level low and shrugs tacklers off with ease, but will the Lions be able to contain him and tackle on first contact, or will this be another reminder of Trent Richardson and the Bama game.

The Edge: Considering the depth at each position and the experience, I give the edge to the Penn State Linebackers. Either way, look for there to be some jaw-dropping collisions when these sides meet.

Iowa Wide Receivers vs. Penn State Secondary

This will be the most nerve-wracking match up of the night for me. Iowa has a veteran at the helms in Ricky Stanzi and has two great wide receivers on the outside in Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Marvin McNutt. These guys are simply electric and make plays all over the field, whether its catching a pass down the field or on special teams, these guys are something else. On the other hand, we have a very physical tandem of our own in defensive backs Stephon Morris and D'Anton Lynn, but do they have the help over top to limit these guys from making big plays?

The Good News: Sukay stopped playing with his hands tied behind his back last week and made two big plays, getting his first two picks of the year. Will he be able to stay on a roll and protect our corners over the top?

The Bad News: These guys are three and four year starters that have the potential to break the game open at any moment. Even their third receiver in the slot, Colin Sandeman would be a viable number one option at a variety of division one schools.

The Edge: This one definitely goes to the Hawkeyes with Stanzi at QB and those guys on the outside, we're definitely going to need to pressure the QB or he is going to have a great time all night long and sip lemonade on the sidelines.

How these match-ups factor into a game as this one all goes back to the beginning, the execution and the game plan. No matter the outcome of this game, this will definitely be a very physical match-up. The tone of this game is going to be set early and it is going to start in the trenches. The question is that who is going to land the first punch and get this grudge match going.

In order for Penn State to be successful in this game, they will have to strike first and convert in the red zone. If they can put Iowa in a hole early and play sound defense, they can all but eliminate how Coach Ferentz loves to play football, which is by running the ball and controlling the tempo. Getting them out of that comfort zone is key, and even though I said this match-up favors Iowa, getting them to throw the ball more and more. I say this because Iowa's success passing has always been a reflection of their run game as its set up man. If we shut down the run and get them to throw and throw often then we can control the game, we can set the pace, and win the game.

The problem is that this team has faced a lot of adversity in the past, which is why we need to hit them hard, score first and score fast. Do not give them a chance to get on a roll. Take it to Adam Robinson knowing that he does not have much behind them to pace this Iowa offense. If Iowa scores first and sets the pace by running the ball well, then it is going to be a long game for us. Either way both defenses will be getting to the QBs and it is going to be a lot of hard hitting fun to watch.

In the end, it is going to be a close game and is going to come down to who controls the line of scrimmage in this one. Both coaches like to play with possession and tired opposing defenses out. The question is which young offensive line is going to have the most success, and which rushing attack will set the tone. I would like to say ours, but since we are the underdogs in this one I am going to go ahead and pick Iowa in a tight one. Even though in my heart I believe Penn State will win this game, I have to go ahead and pick the Hawks. For everyone's sake, I'm hoping that I am way wrong on this one.

Iowa 27 - 24 Penn State


WE ARE..........................