Trip to unbeaten Iowa awaits Nittany Lions
Facing a quarterback with 10 touchdown passes and just one interception going into the game, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz didn’t expect his team’s prime-time matchup against Maryland to turn into a laugher before the first half had even ended.
“In my wildest dreams, I didn’t expect this tonight,” Ferentz said.
By this, Ferentz was referring to a 51-14 thrashing of Maryland on Friday night, a win that sends the Hawkeyes into their upcoming showdown against Penn State sporting a 5-0 record, a 2-0 mark in Big Ten play, and a top-five ranking in both major polls.
Junior quarterback Spencer Petras had a big night against the Terrapins, throwing touchdown passes of 7, 8 and 67 yards and rushing for two more scores, with much of the damage coming in a 31-point second-quarter scoring barrage.
But the story of the game – and really, the season – was Iowa’s opportunism on defense. The Hawkeyes took advantage of seven Maryland turnovers, including five interceptions by Terps quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.
The takeaway spree raised Iowa’s five-game total to 16 (12 interceptions, four fumble recoveries). In addition to their big night in College Park, the Hawkeyes had two pick-sixes in a season-opening 34-6 romp against Indiana and had three interceptions and a fumble recovery in a 27-17 victory over Iowa State. Both the Hoosiers and Cyclones were nationally ranked at the time Iowa defeated them.
Senior cornerback Riley Moss, who had both of the Hawkeyes’ defensive TDs against Indiana, said that the team’s performance against Maryland was a testament to players’ discipline. “The turnovers happened because everyone was doing their job, and they didn’t do anything flashy or crazy,” he said. “They were doing their jobs, and good things came from it.”
That sounds like it could be a mission statement for the entire program. The Hawkeyes rarely are a trendy preseason pick to win the Big Ten or even the league’s West Division title, but they never manage to fall too far off the pace, having posted winning records 12 of the past 13 years. Every once in a while, they’ll put together a special season, and this looks like it could be another one.
If the Hawkeyes can get past Penn State this coming Saturday, they figure to be favored in their six remaining games. They do have a game at Wisconsin on Oct. 30, but a month deep into the season, the Badgers are 1-3, and quarterback Graham Mertz was knocked out of Saturday’s game against Michigan with a chest injury.
The Hawkeyes don’t face Ohio State, Michigan or Michigan State this year, and their matchup against Penn State will be at Kinnick Stadium, one of the Big Ten’s tougher road venues.
In PSU, the Hawkeyes will be facing another team that has been capitalizing on opponents’ turnovers this season. With their two picks against Indiana, the Nittany Lions now have seven on the season, as well as two fumble recoveries. They’ve got a plus-six turnover margin, with only three giveaways to date.
Given how Iowa has feasted on turnovers, the Nittany Lions will be looking to keep the mistakes to an absolute minimum on Saturday night. That’s a priority every week, but ball security could well prove to be the decisive factor in a battle between an Iowa team that has won its past 11 games and a Penn State team that has won its past nine.
“Iowa is a really good football team,” James Franklin said Saturday night. “They always are. But they’re playing on a different level right now. Going on the road is going to be challenging. We’ve got to get some things cleaned up, and we’re going to have to take another step.”
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