Iowa dealing with 'disruptive' Penn State defense

IOWA CITY — Penn State sneaked up on everyone.

Now, no coach from Iowa or anywhere else in the Big Ten will say that, but the Nittany Lions were not on many people's radar to be sitting 6-2 and 4-1 in conference, with a win against Ohio State and a shot at winning the Big Ten East. They've gotten it done primarily through a dynamic runner in Saquon Barkley and dual-threat quarterback Trace McSorley.

But perhaps under the radar of what's under the radar is how Penn State's defense has played and how much they've made opposing quarterbacks' and running backs' lives difficult this season. With 23 team sacks — second in the Big Ten — and 68 tackles for loss, 'disruptive' is the word Nittany Lions linebacker Jason Cabinda used to describe their defense.

Given how the Hawkeyes (5-3, 3-2) have struggled at times in pass protection this season, that could be the source of a major problem on Saturday inside Beaver Stadium.

'That's the biggest thing we're focused on. Like the entire passing game, it's not just the line,' Ferentz said. 'It's everything — guys getting open, getting the ball out on time, that type of thing. Certainly, protection, whether it's the linemen, backs, tight ends involved. Everybody's got to roll.'

Penn State doesn't use a ton of 'trickery,' as Iowa offensive lineman Ike Boettger put it, but what they do take advantage of is eating up opposing blockers with defensive linemen, and allowing their linebackers and safeties to make plays on the ball.

Cabinda returned two weeks ago from a left wrist injury and has 22 tackles in the last two games. He said Wednesday that having the freedom to find the ball and not have to shed as many blocks has allowed the Nittany Lions to put opposing offenses in much worse situations.

Being able to pin your ears back is both a lot more effective and a lot more fun.

'I think our d-line has been doing a really good job. Our defense generally has done a good job on first and second down, getting us to third deep,' Cabinda said. 'We've been able to grind down offensive lines and kind of wear guys down. That's been the biggest thing for us up front.'

2-Minute Drill: Breaking down Penn State-Iowa

Look across the line at Iowa, and that's been a drive-killer for the Hawkeyes all year.

When it's third and three? Iowa converts more than they don't. When it's third and nine? Not so much.

Hawkeyes quarterback C.J. Beathard said Tuesday there have been and will be mistakes up front that lead to situations like that, but that it's not all on an offensive line that's been banged up and rotated pretty much every week of the season. With the (presumable) lineup in place that had so much success at Minnesota — Boone Myers at LT, Boettger at LG, James Daniels at C, Sean Welsh at RG and Cole Croston at RT — it's now up to the offense to find a way to get the ball out of Beathard's hands so he's not in a position to get hit or get Iowa behind the sticks.

Ferentz said helping themselves out in that area is paramount Saturday.

'You always want to have decent protection when you're throwing the ball. In a perfect world, it'd be nice to sit back there all day and be able to throw,' Beathard said. 'I'm not going to be able to sit back there all day, so it's a matter of me getting the ball out of my hands quicker and throwing in some route schemes in there that allow me to get it out quicker. It depends on guys making plays.'

Iowa has used its running backs as extra blockers at certain points, with varying amounts of success.

Akrum Wadley said Tuesday he and LeShun Daniels had spent extra time on that in practice this week, going 'against the linebackers now, so we want to do a better job of protecting C.J.'

Nittany Lion linebackers Manny Bowen (46 tackles, six for loss, one sack), Brandon Bell (40 tackles, two for loss, one sack), Brandon Smith (39 tackles, three for loss) and Cabinda (33 tackles, two for loss, one sack) have combined to wreak a little havoc this season, and the Iowa running backs will be facing a hefty responsibility when they're asked to stay in and block.

It's a fine line to walk for the Hawkeyes, though. You want more time for Beathard, and you want him on his feet. But you also want to put the ball in the hands of the two best playmakers (right now, at least) on the team.

More: Akrum Wadley says he's been practicing in the slot

That balance, and how the game is played up front will go a long way in deciding Saturday's game.

'That's an age old debate in football because you take a receiver out of the equation, obviously, when you do that. I think there's a time and place for that,' Ferentz said. 'One thing I learned when I was in the NFL, you go against Buddy Ryan, his coached teams, whether it was in Houston, later on in Arizona. It might be a blitz, 4 out of 9, maybe 4 out of 5 or 5 out of 5 snaps. So if you just do one thing or settle in, they're going to pick you apart.

'So I think it's usually good to be a little bit multiple and at least give them some things to worry about so they don't always know where you're going to be at.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com