Game To Watch: #4 Penn State at #3 Iowa: October 9, 2021

Penn State will travel to Iowa for a battle between undefeated teams on Saturday at 4:00 EST. Iowa has played great defense and is 5 – 0 after beating up on Maryland last week. Penn State got revenge against Indiana 24 – 0 last week to reach 5 – 0, as well. Both teams are playing well and have positioned themselves well for a Playoff run, one of them will continue on that trajectory after Saturday.

Recent History

Penn State has won 17 of the 30 games played between the two teams. Iowa won 41 – 21 on the road last year, ending a six game win streak for Penn State. The Nittany Lions had won those six straight games from 2011 – 2019, though four of those six games were decided by less than a touchdown. With both teams ranked in the top four this could be another tightly contested game.

Top 25 Players

What To Watch For…

Can Penn State Hit Big Plays in the Passing Game?

Penn State’s offense struggled to run the ball against Wisconsin and Auburn this year, but they were able to make big plays in the passing game. Whenever the Nittany Lions have been in trouble, Sean Clifford has been able to connect with Jahan Dotson for a big play through the air. If Penn State is unable to get their running game on track, they will need the passing attack to come through with the key big plays again, but this Iowa defense maybe the best they have faced all year. The Hawkeyes have held all five of their opponents to 17 points or less. They are the number one scoring defense in the Big Ten and have been top three in the conference against the pass and against the run. It is a difficult defense to establish rhythm against and will be tough to put together long drives against. If Penn State cannot stay balanced, Iowa has an experienced secondary that will make it difficult for Penn State to find the big plays they are looking for to move the ball in chunks. The Nittany Lions will have to scheme ways to get Dotson open downfield to make things easier for the offense, but that’s tough to do against Iowa.

Will Iowa’s Offensive Success Against Maryland Carry Over?

As good as Iowa’s defense has been this year, the offense had struggled to find consistency. Last week against Maryland, Iowa put together their best offensive performance of the season. They scored a season high 51 points, by throwing the ball for 308 yards and averaging 5.7 yards per play. The offense was better than it has been all year and took advantage of the field position their defense and special teams created. Maryland’s defense does not compare to Penn State’s and this game will be a much tougher test for the Iowa offense. The Nittany Lions are ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing just 12 points per game. They have been stout against the run (114.6 yards per game) and solid against the pass (202.6 yards per game). Penn State has proven they can win a defensive struggle already this year with their week one win over Wisconsin, so Iowa will need their offense to continue to play well. The Hawkeyes will have to prove that their success last week had more to do with them than the quality of their opponent.

Can Sean Clifford Avoid Turnovers Against Iowa’s Defense?

Sean Clifford has made a significant improvement from 2020 to 2021. He has improved his completion percentage from 60.6 percent to 67.3 percent, his yards per attempt from 7.5 yards per attempt to 8.8 yards per attempt and has thrown 11 touchdowns to 3 interceptions this year after having a 16 to 9 ratio last year. His improvement has been critical for Penn State who has needed his clean play to beat Wisconsin and Auburn in close games. Iowa has been giving opposing quarterbacks fits this year. The Hawkeyes have held opposing quarterbacks to a 54.8 % completion percentage, 5.6 yards per attempt and has intercepted 12 passes while allowing just 5 touchdown passes. In the three biggest years of the game against Indiana, Iowa State and Maryland, the Hawkeyes intercepted 3, 3 and 6 passes respectively. Iowa’s defense forced key turnovers and sets their offense up with good field position to score. If Penn State is going to win on the road, Clifford will have to play close to turnover free football and force Iowa’s offense to drive the length of the field.

Prediction

With the two best scoring defenses in the conference matching up, points will be hard to come by. Neither team has had much consistency in the running game and that won’t change on Saturday. With both offenses struggling to make plays consistently, the game will be won by a big play by either defense. That’s Iowa’s forte and their big play defense will deliver again to earn a hard fought win. Iowa 20 Penn State 16.

For more content like this don’t forget to subscribe to our website.

For the latest content follow us on twitter @saturdayscfb & @cfbsaturdaysC or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CFBSaturday