Hawkeyes needed this one and they got it

IOWA CITY - The Hawkeyes needed this one.

Yes, it was just the first Big Ten game. Sure, there are seven more. Lots can happen.

But a serious Big Ten contender needs to win at home, a week before a bye and just before it goes into a buzzsaw that might include three ranked teams that have scores to settle with the Hawkeyes from 2009.

A serious Big Ten contender needed this one. The No. 17 Hawkeyes held serve.

Iowa (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) breezed to a fat first-half lead and then milked it for a 24-3 victory over No. 22 Penn State (3-2, 0-1).

The Hawkeyes needed it and got it. They didn't get style points, but the 70,585 Kinnick Stadium fans nailed the black-and-gold striped-bleachers look, so maybe that's the style points. It'll have to do.

Iowa cornerback Shaun Prater sealed the scoring with a 33-yard interception return for a TD making it 24-3 with 1:27 left in the game.

The Hawkeyes go silent this week and then go to Michigan and host Wisconsin and Michigan State.

Just the Big Ten opener, but, yeah, they needed this one.

Quarterback Ricky Stanzi stayed on his career roll with 16 of 22 for 227 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was especially on fire in the first half, when the Hawkeyes burst to a 17-3 lead. Stanzi completed 12 of 15 for 143 yards and a 9-yard TD to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos.

Iowa's defense stuffed Penn State and freshman quarterback Rob Bolden. The total yards in the first quarter went 148 for Iowa to 1 for Penn State. Singular.

The defense made its biggest play of the night with 7:11 left in the third quarter.

Penn State marched 70 yards to Iowa's 1. On fourth-and-goal, Bolden broke right on a rollout that was run all the way. Linebacker Jeremiha Hunter slowed Bolden and tackle Christian Ballard buried him inches short of the goal line.

The ball never broke the plane and the officials' call held up under review.

From there, the Hawkeyes just threw a headlock on the Lions.

Penn State, already looking out of its element, was booted out of its element late in the first half.

The Lions, down 10-0, drove to Iowa's 44 and were poised to pin the Hawkeyes deep in their territory. But punter Anthony Fera shanked a 12-yarder that set up Iowa at its 32.

Stanzi hit wide receiver Marvin McNutt, who led the Hawkeyes with five catches for 93 yards, for back-to-back 18 yard gains, moving the ball to PSU's 32. Running back Adam Robinson, who finished with 28 carries for 95 yards, carried five consecutive times to the 1-inch line and Stanzi took it from there for his second career TD and a 17-0 Iowa led with 1:41 left before halftime.

Stanzi was terrific in getting Iowa off to a fast start. Robinson finished the first half with 67 yards on 13 carries. The Hawkeyes defense held Penn State, which gained 11 yards on 10 carries in the first half, to 0-for-5 on third downs.

Down 17 points, PSU was out of any game plan on offense that it had coming into Kinnick.

And it almost worked.

The Hawkeyes seemed to have halted everything in the first half when safety Brett Greenwood stepped in front of a Bolden pass and intercepted at around midfield. But Iowa defensive tackle Mike Daniels was called for roughing the passer after leaving his feet to put a hit on Bolden, giving PSU new life and first down at Iowa's 49.

Two plays later, Bolden hit wide receiver Brett Brackett for a 46-yard gain to Iowa's 3. Brackett got away from Iowa corner Shaun Prater, who recovered and, ultimately, saved four points with his tackle.

Penn State lined up as if it were going to go for a TD, but a false start moved the ball to the 8 and Collin Wagner booted a 25-yard field goal to pull the Lions within 17-3 at halftime.

Penn State gained nearly half (76) of its total yards (134) in the first half on its final drive.

Midway through the second quarter, the Hawkeyes found themselves down to freshman James Morris at middle linebacker.

Senior Jeff Tarpinian suffered a stinger against Ball State and yielded to senior Troy Johnson, who suffered what appeared to be a concussion in the second quarter. Tarpinian tried to go, but took a shot to the shoulder and had to leave the game.

Morris went in for the first real football of his career.

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