STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Once again, Iowa got off to a slow start. Once again, the Hawkeyes made adjustments.

And once again, the Hawkeyes were able to dominant in the second half en route to victory, this time to the tune of a 21-10 win over No. 5 Penn State in State College, Pa.

The start could not have been any worse for the Hawkeyes. The offense opened the game with three and out. On the first play the defense was on the field, it was burned for a 79-yard touchdown.

When Iowa got the ball back, quarterback Ricky Stanzi threw a pass that ricocheted off the foot of wide receiver Colin Sandeman and into the hands of Nittany Lion cornerback Nick Sukay. Penn State then responded with a methodical 20-play drive that resulted in three points.

Trailing 10-0 after one quarter, the Hawkeyes looked lost amid the thousands upon thousands of Penn State fans decked in white.

But as they showed against Northern Iowa, Iowa State, and Arizona, the Hawkeyes have a knack for becoming a stronger team as a game goes along.

“I think our playing three tough teams, all week, really prepared us for a good system in the game,” junior linebacker Jeremiha Hunter said. “I think that definitely came into effect [Sept. 26].”

And when Iowa came out of the locker room for the second half, things started to click.

The offense continued to struggle, but the defense did its best to keep the Hawkeyes within striking distance, and the score remained 10-5.

The game’s turning point came when junior defensive end Adrian Clayborn blocked a punt by Penn State’s Jeremy Boone, scooped the football up, and dashed 53 yards for a touchdown that not only gave Iowa a lead it never relinquished, it also boosted the team’s morale.

“I think it just excited people,” senior linebacker Pat Angerer said. “It was definitely a game-changer right there. That was just unbelievable.

“We came out, we were excited, and we had fun.”

Penn State turned the ball over three times after the Hawkeyes went ahead. Two of the three ensuing Iowa drives following those turnovers resulted in points for the Hawkeyes, which enabled Iowa to pull away in the game’s final minutes.

With the offense producing 10 points in the game’s final 12:21, it has shown capability of coming through when needing to.

“When Adrian got that touchdown, it took some of the pressure off of us, and we just started running the ball and doing the things that were in our game plan,” senior offensive lineman Dace Richardson said.

Resiliency has seemed to be what has defined the team through one-third of the regular season. An ability to play 60 minutes is something the Hawkeyes take pride in.

And as a result, Iowa has demonstrated that no matter who the opponent is, the Hawkeyes know how to come away with victories.

“They’ve got a lot of determination,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “They care about each other and believe in each other, and when that starts to happen, good things can happen, for sure.”