STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — I’m not going to even attempt sugarcoating what I’m about to say.

The fourth quarter of Iowa’s 21-10 win over No. 5 Penn State on Saturday was the most significant quarter of football the Hawkeyes have ever played under head coach Kirk Ferentz.

I realize there may have been games in past years where the Hawkeyes scored more than 16 points in a quarter or simply imposed their will.

But here’s what makes me say this: All three phases — offense, defense, and special teams — stepped up when needed the most in perhaps the most hostile atmosphere in college football.

Because I’ve watched more than my fair share of Hawkeye games, I ask you to think about this for a second.

The special teams did something no Hawkeye fan had witnessed in an Iowa game since the 2005 Capital One Bowl against LSU. When Adrian Clayborn blocked the punt and ran into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown, the “White House” became awfully quiet.

After the Hawkeyes took that lead, the defense created three turnovers — two interceptions and a fumble that came deep in Iowa territory and while it was still a one-possession contest.

The offense, after both senior linebackers Pat Angerer and A.J. Edds intercepted Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark, responded on both occasions with scores to further separate Iowa from the Nittany Lions. Redshirt freshman running back Adam Robinson scored from 13 yards out, and junior kicker Daniel Murray made a 31-yard field goal in the final seconds.

The Hawkeyes may have had successful quarters like this before. But also consider the opponent Iowa faced and the spotlight beating down.

Penn State may no longer be the No. 5 team in the country, but it’s certainly not a slouch. The Nittany Lions are the reigning Big Ten champions, and as long as Joe Paterno is on the Penn State sidelines, the national recognition will always be around.

This quarter of football happened in front of 109,316 people in Beaver Stadium. That doesn’t include the millions of people nationwide who watched on TV, or listened on radio, or just knew about the game because “College GameDay” was in town.

By winning the game, Iowa moved up 18 spots in the latest AP poll. From unranked to 13th nationally. I’m sorry, but that just doesn’t happen too often for me to not view what took place in the fourth quarter as significant.

If the Hawkeyes are going to be the Big Ten title contenders some envisioned them being back in the summer, then the summit became visible after this one period.

For three quarters, it looked more likely that Iowa and Penn State were going to play to another baseball score, like the 6-4 outcome in 2004, and the lone Nittany Lion touchdown in the first quarter was going to haunt Hawkeye fans.

Yet in a matter of 15 minutes, Iowa went from a team in a state some Pennsylvanians can’t find on a map to one of the most talked about in America.

I’m sure there are Hawkeye fans out there already thinking about a certain eight-letter locale beginning with the letter “P” after the evening of Sept. 26. Whether Iowa continues to inch closer toward reaching that destination this winter remains to be seen.

With that said, if the day all Hawkeye fans are longing for becomes a reality, look back at this game — and more specifically, this fourth quarter.

It set the standard for how the Hawkeyes need to keep finishing each game from here on out.