The Hawkeyes are within days of playing Penn State, a team that is ranked No. 4 in nation. The last time the Hawkeyes faced a top-5 opponent was 2016, at home versus No. 3 Michigan. It was also a night game, and the Hawkeyes, who were not favored, won in a nail-biting fashion — 14-13 on a last-second field goal.

Though going into the game against Penn State some Iowa players are concerned about washing their mouths of last year’s 41-14 beatdown that the Lions laid on the Hawkeyes.

“Obviously, we were humiliated after that game,” Parker Hesse said. “And human nature, you want to avenge that loss.”

And it has merit to be labeled a humiliation. The Lions outgained the Hawkeyes 599 to 234 in yards on offense, and the halftime score was 24-7.

“Let’s focus on this year,” Josh Jackson said. “We just want to stay focused on our task.”

Kirk Ferentz played down the revenge factor that may seem to fuel some players.

“I know there has been a lot of talk about avenging last year’s game,” he said. “We have a lot of players who are playing for us that weren’t on the field last year. So that isn’t our motivation.”

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Plethora of weapons

During Iowa’s 41-14 loss to Penn State in 2016, the Lions showed off a myriad of weapons, including Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown, and Trace McSorley, who threw for 240 yards and ran for another 70.

“[McSorley] is a really shifty guy,” said Jackson. “He’s a good quarterback, he is nationally known, it should be fun.

“Pursuit angles are going to be huge. Especially this week versus a quarterback who can run and a fast running back … You have to choose the right pursuit angles.”

So far, defenses this season have had a huge amount of trouble stopping Barkley in both the rushing and receiving portions of the game, making him a versatile threat. He has racked up 307 rushing yards so far and has caught 11 receptions for 241 yards.

“His size, he is aggressive,” Jackson said. “He’s a fast guy and makes great cuts.”

And if these two guys are not enough to worry about, the Nittany Lions also have some very large-bodied tight ends who are also making matchup problems this season. They include Mike Gesiki who has snatched 4 touchdowns and has created a huge red-zone mismatch for the team.

Butler out four weeks

During Iowa’s Sept. 16 win over North Texas, Akrum Wadley was flagged for an excessive-celebration call on a breakaway touchdown. This canceled the score, and Wadley didn’t play the rest of the game.

That brought in backup James Butler. Butler played most of the game until injuring his elbow.

“I think James will be out through the bye week,” Ferentz said. “It will be a couple of weeks before we have him back.”