5 Things: Iowa vs Penn State

Iowa returns from the bye week — a much-needed bye week, by the way — as a team that's facing its toughest part of the schedule in the final four weeks of the year. Coach James Franklin, running back Saquon Barkley and No. 23 Penn State await the Hawkeyes in Happy Valley, fresh off a steamrolling of Purdue and an upset of No. 6 Ohio State.

The programs haven't played in a while (hold that thought), but it's sure to be an interesting Saturday at Beaver Stadium, because all of a sudden the Nittany Lions have thoughts about the Big Ten East. Here are 5 Things on Iowa vs Penn State. And no, this won't be Halloween-themed.

1. Monsters of Happy Valley

OK so maybe one Halloween reference: Penn State has a few players that should scare you if you're an Iowa fan. There, silly 'holiday' references are finished.

Seriously, in three phases of the game, the Nittany Lions have guys who should make people pay a lot of attention. One of them just ran all over Purdue (all right, most everyone has, but bear with me), another came back from a five-week injury, yet sits sixth on the team in tackles, and the other is apparently someone worth targeting.

The runner? Running back Saquon Barkley, who leads the Big Ten and sits 18th in the NCAA in rushing with 888 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's the top touchdown scorer in the Big Ten with 11 (he's also thrown for a score) and second in all-purpose yards by just two yards to Minnesota's Rodney Smith. He totaled 277 all-purpose yards against Purdue, the most by any Penn State player since 2002 (Larry Johnson). Oh, and he had an 81-yard touchdown run that was electrifying.

The comeback kid? Middle linebacker Jason Cabinda, who injured his left wrist/arm in the season-opener against Kent State and finally returned against Ohio State two weeks ago. Cabinda came back from his injury to the tune of 13 tackles, two for loss and a sack against the Buckeyes, and then led the team with nine total tackles against Purdue. He has 22 tackles in the last two games. Cabinda is part of a sack-generating machine that is the Penn State defense. The Nittany Lions have 23 as a team, ranking second in the Big Ten.

The target? The kicker who's built like a fullback — kicker Joey Julius. He might only handle kickoffs, but his 270-pound frame is atypical for his position, to say the least. He's laid some big hits this year, and also received a few cheap shots. Don't count on Iowa to follow suit in that area.

2. Times, they are a changin'

These two programs haven't faced off since the 2012 season — the first full season in which Joe Paterno was not the head coach. I think you know that story.

But a lot of other stuff has happened since the Nittany Lions were hit with the 21st-century version of the college football death penalty. Those sanctions were reduced two years later, and Penn State has been in a bowl game both seasons since the ban was lifted.

A cherry-picked timeline of things to happen since Iowa lost to Penn State, 38-14, on Oct. 20, 2012: Barack Obama was re-elected President (2012), the world didn't, in fact, end on Dec. 21, 2012; the Chicago Cubs went from 61-101 in 2012 to the World Series in 2016; Edward Snowden set the NSA on its ear (2013), two different Olympic Games were held (Winter 2014, Summer 2016); an airplane went up and never came down again, that we know of (2014); Sepp Blatter was ousted from FIFA (2015) and the world lost icons Muhammad Ali, David Bowie and Prince, musician Glenn Frey, actor Alan Rickman, the Cleveland Cavaliers came back from down 3-1 to win the NBA Finals (2016) and Hillary Clinton became the first woman nominated as a major party candidate for President (2016).

It's been a while, y'all.

3. Touchdown dogs

Iowa goes on the road riding a nine-game road win streak (second longest active streak in the nation to Alabama's 10), and sits as a 7.5-point underdog as of Monday afternoon. The Hawkeyes haven't been a touchdown or more underdog very often in the last few years, so this is fairly new territory for the guys who will be playing Saturday.

Iowa has been a 7-or-more-point underdog 36 times in the Kirk Ferentz era — 23 of those have been on the road — but this marks the first such case for the Hawkeyes since they were a 9.5-point underdog to Wisconsin in 2014. The Hawkeyes are 8-28 outright under Ferentz when picked to lose by a touchdown or more, but are 22-14 against the spread in those games. [Inserts entertainment only line here].

Penn State has been favored by 7 or more against Iowa six times since Ferentz took over. The Hawkeyes are 4-2 outright in those games, with wins in 2009 (Iowa plus-9.5, won 21-10), 2008 (Iowa plus-8, won 24-23), 2002 (Iowa plus-8, won 42-35) and 2000 (Iowa plus-17, won 26-23).

4. Rank 'em and wreck 'em

Speaking of numbers and Penn State, the Nittany Lions' No. 23 ranking is the highest they've had when facing Iowa since 2010. The Hawkeyes have won the last four meetings in which Penn State was ranked.

Iowa won, 24-3, against No. 22 PSU in 2010; 21-10 at No. 5 PSU in 2009; 24-23 vs. No. 3 PSU in 2008; and 42-35 in OT at No. 12 PSU in 2002. Those four wins mark a stark turnaround from how ranked Penn State teams had fared against Iowa before that. The Nittany Lions had been 10-2 when ranked against the Hawkeyes before the four most recent wins.

Making it five in a row is a tall ask.

5. Strike a pose

This last one doesn't have much to do with Saturday's game, but it's a somewhat odd and interesting (to me, at least) fact: Iowa and Penn State have the same number of Heisman Trophy winners. Given the history of the Nittany Lions and all those games and titles they've won, such a small number stands out.

Of course you all know Iowa's representative — some guy whose name is on the side of the stadium where the Hawkeyes play football. Nile Kinnick won his Heisman in 1939, a year in which Iowa went 6-1-1 and Kinnick beat out Michigan's Tom Harmon, Missouri's Paul Christman and Tennessee's George Cafego for the award.

Kinnick never suited up against Penn State, but his Nittany Lion Heisman counterpart did face the Hawkeyes. Running back John Cappelletti won the 1973 Heisman Trophy after rushing for 1,522 yards and 17 touchdowns. Cappelletti was part of a two-year stretch in which Penn State was 22-2, lost the 1972 Sugar Bowl and won the 1974 Orange Bowl.

His 2,639 yards and 29 touchdowns over his two seasons included a pair of home wins against Iowa. Penn State won, 14-10, in 1972, and Cappelletti carried 22 times for 96 yards and a touchdown. He carried 22 times for 87 yards and another touchdown in the Nittany Lions' 27-8 win in 1973.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com