Game Report: Penn State Nittany Lions 31, Iowa Hawkeyes 0

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — A look at 24th-ranked Iowa’s 31-0 loss Saturday night to No. 7 Penn State at Beaver Stadium.

Turning point

Penn State had a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter.

Iowa’s defense forced a Nittany Lions punt from the PSU 24. It looked like the Hawkeyes might get some good field position.

Forget that.

Penn State’s Riley Thompson punted toward the Nittany Lions sideline. Iowa returner Cooper DeJean yelled at teammates to get away from the short-ish punt, but the football hit Iowa’s Brenden Deasfernandes in the back.

Curtis Jacobs of Penn State plopped on it at the Iowa 39. Quarterback Drew Allar eventually connected with Khalil Dinkins on a 10-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-2 for a 10-0 Penn State lead with 9:17 left in the half.

That was ballgame. Well, actually, it might have been ballgame before that, but a two-score spread definitely seemed significant at the time.

By the numbers

33 — Iowa offensive plays in the game.

76 — Iowa yards in the game.

97 — Penn State offensive plays in the game.

397 — Penn State yards in the game.

110,830 — Crowd count at Beaver Stadium. Second-largest in stadium history.

Notebook

* Iowa defensive lineman Noah Shannon will transition into a student-assistant role after the failed appeal of his year-long NCAA suspension, according to Iowa sports information.

“This move will allow Shannon to travel with the team on road trips and continue in his leadership position on the 2023 roster,” Iowa said in its weekly game notes.

Shannon, an all-Big Ten honorable mention in the last two seasons, received the suspension as a result of violating the NCAA’s sports wagering rules. He placed a wager on a University of Iowa sports team, but not football, head coach Kirk Ferentz has said.

Shannon, Ferentz said earlier this month, is a “highly respected leader in our locker room and certainly with our coaching staff.” The plan since the failed appeal had been to “keep him close” to the program.

“Every year we have some young guys that are going through a really tough transition, just like he did six years ago,” Ferentz said. “That can be invaluable, so we’ll keep him busy.”

* Penn State has not allowed a touchdown on an opponent’s opening possession in 18 straight games. Iowa got to around midfield on its first possession Saturday night but ended up punting.

* Penn State had a string of 28 straight quarters scoring a touchdown ended by Iowa. The Nittany Lions did have a field goal for a 3-0 lead after the first, but not a TD.

* Cade McNamara scrambled for 18 yards and a first down with 10:52 left in the first quarter. The next Iowa first down came with just over five minutes left in the game when Kamari Moulton rushed for 5 yards on a first-and-5 play.

* Iowa had minus-9 yards in the third quarter.

Injury report

iowa running backs Kaleb Johnson and Jaziun Patterson both missed Saturday’s game with injuries. Leshon Williams got the start at tailback for Iowa. True freshman Terrell Washington Jr. also played on the first offensive series.

Tight end Luke Lachey also did not play and is likely out for the season with an ankle injury that required surgery. Erick All got the start in his place.

Next game

It’s another night game for the Hawkeyes, though this one’s at home. Michigan State is the opponent at 6:30 (NBC). The Spartans dropped their second straight Big Ten game Saturday, to Maryland at home, 31-9. Michigan State is 2-2 overall and 0-2 in the league.

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