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Iowa football 2025 early opponent preview: Penn State
Nittany Lions could potentially be toughest game on Hawkeyes’ 2025 schedule
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Editor’s note: Seventh in a 12-part series previewing each of Iowa football’s 2025 regular-season opponents.
IOWA CITY — Penn State’s last trip to Kinnick Stadium ended quite favorably for Iowa football.
In a matchup between two top-five teams at the time, the 2021 Hawkeyes overcame a 17-3 second-quarter deficit en route to a 23-20 win (followed by a field-storming celebration).
When the Nittany Lions return to Kinnick Stadium four years later for a Week 7 matchup, it could potentially be the hardest game on Iowa’s 2025 schedule.
Penn State is coming off a 13-win season, which ended with a narrow loss in the College Football Playoff semifinals. (All three losses were by one possession and against eventual CFP teams.)
Star quarterback Drew Allar and star running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are among the returning players from that team. On the other side of the ball, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and cornerback A.J. Harris are among the notable returnees.
Allar, Singleton and Allen all had roles in Penn State’s 31-0 blowout against Iowa at Beaver Stadium in 2023. Allar — then in his first season as Penn State’s starting quarterback — went 25-of-37 for 166 yards and four touchdowns. Allen and Singleton took the bulk of the carries, meanwhile, as the Nittany Lions amassed 215 rushing yards.
Penn State’s notable transfer additions include former Troy wide receiver Devonte Ross — the same guy that burned Iowa for a 63-yard touchdown last year — and former Syracuse wide receiver Trebor Pena.
James Franklin also made a splash in the coordinator carousel, poaching defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Ohio State. Knowles’ Buckeye defense led the country in yards allowed per game, yards allowed per play and points allowed per game.
Iowa vs. Penn State: 3 things to watch
- Drew Allar vs. Iowa’s secondary. In the 2023 blowout, Allar completed 67.6 percent of his passes against an Iowa defense that allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 56.1 percent of their passes over the course of the season. Now, Allar has another two years of experience at the college level (and could be an even bigger challenge).
- Can Iowa be more effective at establishing the run against Jim Knowles’ defensive unit? Knowles’ Buckeyes held Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson-led rushing attack to only 116 yards last season. The only teams to hold Iowa to fewer rushing yards were UCLA and Nebraska.
- Does the Mark Gronowski-led Iowa offense capitalize on big-play opportunities? As much as the Iowa defense’s havoc on backup quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson opened the door for a comeback in the 2021 game, the tide finally turned for the Hawkeyes when Spencer Petras connected with Nico Ragaini for a 44-yard touchdown.
2025 prognosis
Iowa will have virtually no margin for error as it goes up against a Penn State team that could be even better than the 2023 team that blew out the Hawkeyes.
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