By Jordan Hansen | [email protected]
State College, PA — The Hawkeyes said they were prepared, that nothing Penn State did during its 41-14 win surprised them.
But Nittany Lion running back Saquon Barkley zipped, zagged, and made the Hawkeye linebackers look silly throughout the game. They could do nothing to stop him, as he racked up 211 yards and 2 touchdowns — 1 receiving, 1 rushing.
“There wasn’t much good out there tonight. We didn’t play well enough, we didn’t coach well enough, everything,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We just weren’t up for the challenge.”
Barkley’s longest play of the game was early in the second quarter; he took quarterback Trace McSorley’s handoff 57 yards for a touchdown and put the Nittany Lions up 14-0.
Barkley had 116 rushing yards in the first half alone on just 12 carries. He ended with 167.
While the Penn State running back’s performance was impressive in and of itself, the bigger story might be how, once again, the Hawkeyes couldn’t shut down an opposing offense. McSorley had 48 yards rushing, and backup quarterback Tommy Stevens added another 71 on the ground.
McSorley also had a good day through the air, completing 11-of-18 passes for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Nittany Lions finished the day with 599 yards, the second-largest number given up in the Ferentz era.
The Nittany Lions also didn’t turn over the ball and managed to pick Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard off once.
“We won the turnover battle, and then we won explosive plays,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said. “They had not been turning the ball over; they did not make mistakes. We talked about that, and we didn’t make mistakes.”
Iowa, however, had plenty of errors.
Although Beathard’s interception was the only turnover for either team, he was sacked four times. The Hawkeyes went just 2-of-10 on third down, though were able to limit the penalties, committing just four for 24 yards.
There was little rhythm in the offense, however, and Iowa struggled throughout the game to move the ball consistently. The Hawkeyes were held to just 30 yards rushing on 26 carries for a horrendous 1.2 yards per carry average.
“I felt like we were as ready as we’ve ever been in the locker room beforehand,” Beathard said. “We were all pumped up. Sometimes games just don’t play out the way you plan for them to go.”
Since Matt VandeBerg’s injury, Iowa hasn’t gotten much from the receiver position. The Hawkeyes still need more, but it’s a process — one that’s coming along very slowly.
A healthy George Kittle helps the offense tremendously, but don’t expect to see that any time soon.
“I don’t know if he will be totally healthy all season based on what I saw tonight,” Ferentz said. “It’s frustrating for him, it’s frustrating for all of us.”
Perhaps it was an indictment for the entire game, as well.
Penn State was simply the better team on Nov. 5, and it showed. Iowa’s going to struggle to make it to bowl eligibility, which is not ensured at this point in time.
“Nobody in our locker room feels good,” Ferentz said. “They are really hurt right now. We are focused on our players, what we can do for them and prepare for next week.
“That’s where my focus is right now.”
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