Saquon Barkley, considered by many to be a 2017 Heisman candidate, came into Kinnick with 307 rushing yards, 241 receiving yards, and 5 touchdowns.

When Penn State took the field in Kinnick on the evening of Sept. 23, the prime-time audience was salivating at a chance to witness some Barkley magic. And some of that attention also went to Iowa’s Akrum Wadley, who had accounted for 34 percent of Iowa’s offensive yards in the first three weeks of the season.

And Barkley magic it was. He finished the game with 211 rushing yards, 94 receiving yards, and 1 touchdown. In the first three weeks of the season, Iowa had allowed an average of 335 yards of offense, and Barkley almost matched that by himself. And Iowa couldn’t seem to catch him, losing a tight game, 21-19.

“They are a hard team to defend, and it starts with that running back,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “The running back is a special player; I don’t know if I’ve seen many better or any better in my 19 years back here.”

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In contrast, Wadley ran for 0 yards in the first half. Not, however, because of a lack of touches; he carried the ball 10 times. The lack of production solely came from a stifling, gap-filling defense by the Nittany Lions.

“We really couldn’t get anything established in the running game.” Ferentz said about the first half.

Wadley did show great flashes, though. Down 15-13 with two minutes left, Iowa needed Wadley to make a play. And he did just that. On first down, during a nice looking drive following Iowa blocking a field-goal attempt, Wadley took a wide-open rushing lane 35 yards for a touchdown, putting Iowa ahead.

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“They were blitzing all day; that was a good play call from coach Brian [Ferentz] at the right time.” Wadley said.

In the first half, Penn State went to Barkley often. So often that at times it seemed as if Barkley was the only Penn State offensive player in the stadium. Barkley ended the first half with 10 rushes for 63 yards and 7 receptions for 47 yards.

To Iowa’s credit, Barkley did not enter the end zone in the first half, but he wasn’t going to be denied in the second half. He quickly created a back-breaking 44-yard run, which he later capped off by finding a worthy angle for a shifty score.

Wadley ended the game with 155 yards, and two scores. This was, however, not enough to rival such a strong performance from Barkley, who had monster numbers. But when it came down to Iowa needing a play, Wadley delivered every time.

“He is a great back,” Josh Jackson said about defending Barkley. “As a defense, I thought we played well.”