Penn State beats Iowa on the final play: 3 takeaways
Here’s what we learned from the Penn State Nittany Lions’ dramatic walk-off win over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium.
It took until the final play of the game, but the No. 4 Nittany Lions survived the trap of Kinnick Stadium at night with an epic 21-19 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday night.
Penn State had outstanding field position throughout the early stages of the game, but couldn’t get anything going against an energetic Iowa defense. The Hawkeyes had little success moving the ball themselves, and Saquon Barkley led the Nittany Lions down the field on their third drive for a 19-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead at the end of the first.
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Barkley continued to move the ball both as a running back and receiver, although the Nittany Lions missed a field goal attempt at the 10:42 mark of the second. Penn State’s consistent field position advantage finally paid off two drives, later, as Shareef Miller took down Iowa running back Akrum Wadley in the end zone for a safety.
While the Hawkeyes offense could do absolutely nothing with Miller wreaking havoc, it caught a break when star linebacker Jozy Jewell intercepted Trace McSorley near the end of the first half. Iowa completed its first downfield pass one play later when Nathan Stanley hit Nick Easley on a 18-yard touchdown for a 7-5 lead heading into the break.
A 25-yard run by Barkley set up a Penn State field goal on the opening drive of the second half for the Nittany Lions. Penn State’s defense then took matters into its own hands by forcing a Wadley fumble to set up a Barkley touchdown and 15-7 lead for James Franklin’s team.
Jewell wasn’t about to let the game get out of hand, and recorded a strip sack on McSorley with under a minute to go in the third with the Nittany Lions driving. Penn State’s special teams came up huge once again by blocking Miguel Recinos’ short field goal attempt to preserve the eight-point advantage.
The Hawkeyes forced an instant three-and-out, and Wadley finally got loose with a 70-yard touchdown catch to cut the deficit to 15-13 following a failed two-point conversion. Penn State then embarked on an epic 16-play trudge that bled seven minutes off the clock, but Iowa returned the favor with a blocked field goal of its own to set up a wild finish.
A pass interference call, Penn State’s seventh penalty of the night, kickstarted Iowa’s next drive, and Wadley broke free for his second explosive play of the half on a 35-yard touchdown run for a 19-15 lead with 1:42 to go. Penn State dramatically picked up a few first downs to get to the Iowa 7-yard line, and McSorley hit Juwan Johnson for a game-winning touchdown with no time remaining.
Ferentz will regret going for two twice, while Penn State will be thrilled with the last-second victory in a tough environment. Here’s what we learned from Saturday night’s instant classic.
3 takeaways
1. Saquon Barkley’s versatility is amazing, but Penn State needs more
Barkley continues to defy his own lofty expectations and has a strong argument as the best player in college football, but the Penn State offense is still not in great shape.
The junior Heisman candidate set a Penn State record with 344 all-purpose yards in the best performance of his legendary career. Barkley ran the ball 28 times for 211 yards against the physical Iowa defense, led the Nittany Lions with 12 receptions for 94 yards, and picked up a blitz on the game-winning drive for good measure.
As amazing and versatile as Barkley is, the Nittany Lions will need a lot more to beat Michigan and Ohio State later in the year. McSorley was inefficient and made a couple of mistakes, while Penn State got little production from its wide receivers outside of Johnson.
The key piece over the rest of the year will be tight end Mike Gesicki, who has NFL-caliber talent yet only had 25 yards on Saturday.
2. The Hawkeyes’ defense will help them compete for the Big Ten West
Even in a losing effort, Iowa made a statement with a physical defensive performance to limit the high-powered Penn State offense.
The Hawkeyes’ defense was asked to do far too much while dealing with a Nittany Lions offense that dominated time of possession and constantly had superior field position. While Penn State ended up with 579 total yards, much of that production came in the final 10 minutes, and Iowa managed to force a pair of turnovers to keep the game close throughout.
Jewell emerged as a national star and will certainly help his stock for next year’s NFL draft. Iowa has a great chance to upset Ohio State at home later in the season, and will be ready to claim the Big Ten West title if it can somehow find a way to top Wisconsin on the road in what should be a slugfest in mid-November.
3. Penn State’s special teams are an underrated difference maker
The Nittany Lions have been able to survive a few close, hard-fought games over the past two years thanks to their special teams, a critical factor in their quest for the College Football Playoff.
Blocked kick aside, Penn State’s special teams were terrific on Saturday night, and the Nittany Lions could have been down by more than one score at the break if the unit didn’t perform so well. Punter Blake Gillikin pinned the Hawkeyes inside the 10-yard line three times in the first half alone, leading to a crucial safety, and the Nittany Lions came up with a huge blocked field goal early in the fourth.
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The Nittany Lions reached to Rose Bowl last year thanks to a blocked field goal that led to a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to key last year’s upset of Ohio State. If the Nittany Lions are to beat the rest of the stiff competition in the Big Ten East, special teams will likely continue to be a huge factor.