Halftime -- Dropping the ball

Less than two minutes into the game, Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark showed that he planned to back up the semi-guarantee he made in Paternoville on Thursday night.

One play, 79 yards, 11 seconds. PSU went up 7-0 on Clark's 79-yard TD to WR Chaz Powell, who just ran a streak past Iowa CB Amari Spievey, who got caught looking in the backfield.

Iowa kicker Daniel Murray missed a field goal wide right as the first half ended in Penn State's favor, 10-5.

That was a well-scouted play. PSU coaches knew Spievey would bite and they popped it on play No. 1.

Iowa countered with a 28-yard run from freshman RB Brandon Wegher, who took it to PSU's 40. But then it just got weird for the Hawkeyes.

QB Ricky Stanzi put a pass just over a linebacker, who must've shaded WR Colin Sandeman's view. Sandeman was late reacting and batted the ball down. He then kicked the ball in the air, where hero back Nick Sukay picked it out of the air for first down at PSU's 21.

So, in the first four minutes, Iowa's defense gave up the longest play of the season and kicked an interception to Penn State.

As far as omens go, that's a raven flying into your living room and stealing the remote.

The Nittany Lions took the interception and jogged down field on Iowa's defense, going 20 plays, 68 yards and chowing down 10:17 of clock before settling on Colin Wagner's 28-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 52 seconds in the first quarter.

Twenty plays, 10:17 and a 10-0 PSU lead. That's some big bro, little bro stuff.

Meanwhile, at that point, Iowa's offense ran seven plays.

Iowa's defense in the first half was its best offense.

After Iowa was forced to punt at PSU's 40, punter Ryan Donahue booted a 34-yarder that pinned PSU at its 6. The Lions went false start, tackle for loss by defensive end Broderick Binns, sack by Binns on Clark in the end zone and pulled within 10-2 with 11:47 left in the first half.

Binns whipped right tackle DeOn'tae Pannell and caused the fumble. Guard Johnnie Troutman recovered and it was 10-2.

Otherwise, Iowa's offense did nothing and, believe it or not, the first-half struggles didn't belong to QB Ricky Stanzi. Iowa receivers dropped four passes, including two from WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. The drops, of course, turned into empty downs and ruined any tempo the Hawkeyes tried to get going, finishing the half 2 of 9 on third down.

Murray, the most wanted man in eastern Pennsylvania, went 1 of 2 in field goals, hitting from 41 and going wide right from 42 near the end of the first half.

After the first play, Penn State had just 25 yards passing.

Stanzi finished 9 of 22 for 114 and the kick pick. Clark was 6 of 12 for 104 and a TD.

For the first half, Clark was good on his 4-0 promise caught on video Thursday night in the student-tent village Paternoville.