Iowa football vs. Penn State: Live score updates, highlights, analysis

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Costly turnovers and an overall nonexistent offense promptly removed any chance No. 24 Iowa had of pulling off the upset, suffering a 31-0 loss to No. 7 Penn State in front of a raucous Beaver Stadium crowd of 110,830 Saturday night.

Tight end Erick All fumbled the ball at about the Penn State 18-yard line in the first quarter. It ended what turned out to be the Hawkeyes’ only drive that reached Nittany Lion territory until the fourth quarter.

Later in the first half, a Penn State punt bounced off the back of Iowa’s Brenden Deasfernandes, and the Nittany Lions’ Curtis Jacobs recovered it.

Jacobs also recovered the All fumble. It was the first time in more than three decades that a Penn State player recovered multiple fumbles in one game.

Both turnovers also preceded Penn State scoring drives.

Iowa lost another two fumbles in the second half.

Even without the turnovers, Iowa’s offense struggled in seemingly every phase.

Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara was 5-for-14 for 42 yards before being subbed out for Deacon Hill with the game out of reach in the fourth quarter.

It marks the second consecutive game in which the Michigan transfer completed less than half of his passes.

Iowa’s rushing attack averaged a paltry 1.2 yards per carry.

McNamara’s 18-yard scramble with no Penn State defenders anywhere near him was a rare bright spot for the ground game. No other player had a rushing attempt that netted more than 9 yards.

It did not help that Iowa was without two of its top three running backs. Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson are both “week-to-week,” Kirk Ferentz said earlier in the week.

Iowa’s defense kept the Hawkeyes competitive for a while. At one point, Penn State was 1-of-7 on third downs and averaging 2.5 yards per carry.

But the formidable Penn State offense broke through in the second half, scoring touchdowns on each of its first three drives after intermission.

The defensive letup was an inevitability with the high workload. Through the first three quarters, Penn State had 77 offensive plays. Iowa, on the other hand, had 25 plays during that span.

— John Steppe