Meltdown not a good look for Iowa team trying to prove itself
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Saturday’s game between Iowa and Penn State was set up to answer a question about the Hawkeyes.
Is Iowa the real deal?
The first three games of the football season did little to provide conclusions one way or the other. Iowa beat three teams it was supposed to — including Utah State and Iowa State by a combined 17 points. Iowa’s win over Western Michigan was decisive but did little to move the needle.
So Saturday was set up as a proving ground. Iowa was on the road against Penn State, the No. 7 team in the nation, in the “White Out” game. A high-level opponent and a raucous atmosphere would reveal what the first three games didn’t.
Is Iowa the real deal?
The answer at Beaver Stadium on Saturday was clear.
No. Not right now, at least. Far from it.
Penn State routed Iowa in embarrassing fashion, beating the Hawkeyes 31-0 on Saturday. Iowa’s performance was undisciplined and uninspiring. The Hawkeyes didn’t even look like they deserved to be in the same conversation with a team like Penn State.
The statistics from Saturday’s game are startling. Penn State had 397 total yards to Iowa’s 76. Penn State had 215 rushing yards to Iowa’s 20. Penn State had 27 first downs to Iowa’s four. The Hawkeyes had four turnovers to Penn State’s zero. We could continue on with the jarring discrepancies.
“I don’t remember any time I’ve felt this bad about a game, let alone a day, in my life,” Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara said.
Iowa’s flaws were exposed in ugly fashion on Saturday.
The offense was dreadful, an unsettling silhouette of last season’s unit. The Hawkeyes were dominated on the line of scrimmage. Iowa’s running game was almost nonexistent. The passing game was ineffective, too, as McNamara was just 5-of-14 for 42 yards. An Iowa offense that has been a major talking point did not do anything to quiet the scrutiny on Saturday.
Iowa’s defense looked like a unit with significant regression since last season. That side of the ball was very good through the first three games this season, but there were some minor slipups. Saturday revealed them in a bigger way. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar threw for four touchdowns. Iowa looked like a defense suffering from the losses of Noah Shannon and Lukas Van Ness on the line and Riley Moss and Kaevon Merriweather in the secondary.
The odds were already stacked against Iowa going into this game. Iowa was without Luke Lachey, who went down against Western Michigan in what was “most likely” a season-ending injury, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz later said. On top of that, Iowa was without running backs Jaziun Patterson and
Iowa vs. Penn State statistics
Iowa Penn St.
000 3 7 14
PSU—FG Felkins 46, 1:35.
0— 0 7 — 31
PSU—Kh.Dinkins 9 pass from Allar (Felkins kick), 9:17.
PSU—Warren 2 pass from Allar (Felkins kick), 8:20.
PSU—Warren 7 pass from Allar (Felkins
Kaleb Johnson on Saturday. The margin for error was already thin entering kickoff on Saturday. Iowa made things worse with self-inflicted wounds.
Tight end Erick All fumbled on Iowa’s second offensive possession of the game after picking up a handful of yards on a gorgeous play design. Iowa’s next major blunder came early in the second quarter when an Iowa punt hit the Hawkeyes’ Brenden Deasfernandes and Penn State recovered, setting it up in Hawkeye territory. Iowa later missed what could’ve been a momentum swing near the end of the second quarter when it was unable to recover a muffed punt return.
“Tonight, we didn’t score points and we didn’t stop them on defense,” Ferentz said. “So it’s not a good night.”
The Hawkeyes came into this season with lofty ambitions after a sour ending to the regular season in 2022. Amid an inconsistent 2022, Iowa still had a kick), 1:01.
PSU—Lambert-Smith 3 pass from Allar (Felkins kick), 12:19.
IOWA PSU First downs 4 28 Total Net Yards 79 397 Rushes-yards 17-23 57-215 Passing 56 182 Punt Returns 3-15 3-4 Kickoff Returns 0-0 0-0 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0 Comp-Att-Int 6-16-0 26-40-0 Sacked-Yards Lost 3-22 0-0 Punts 7-53.286 4-37.75 Fumbles-Lost 6-4 1-0 Penalties-Yards 4-28 4-45 Time of Possession 14:33 45:07 chance to make the Big Ten Championship Game, needing only a win over Nebraska in the regular season finale. But Iowa squandered that opportunity, losing to Nebraska at Kinnick Stadium. After a bowl win, Iowa finished the season 8-5. Though it was a respectable mark, there was still a lot left to be desired.
But there was optimism that this season would be different — that it would be better. Iowa got a much-needed injection of energy with the addition of transfer Cade McNamara and other offensive weapons and returning contributors of a dominant defense. But Saturday did not suggest that the Hawkeyes are a revitalized offensive unit. Nor did it reveal that it’s a defense capable of sustaining dominance over the course of the entire game at the rate it did last season.
Saturday was enough of a beatdown to put into question what Iowa is capable of this season.
RUSHING—Iowa, Moulton 6-18, Williams 6-9, McNamara 4-3, Hill 1-(minus 7). Penn St., Allen 21-72, Pribula 8-55, Singleton 17-49, Allar 8-22, Potts 3-17.
PASSING—Iowa, McNamara 5-14-0-42, Hill 1-2-0-14. Penn St., Allar 25-37-0-166, Pribula 1-3-0-16.
RECEIVING—Iowa, All 3-35, Vines 1-14, Ragaini 1-4, Williams 1-3. Penn St., Lambert-Smith 8-66, Th.Johnson 6-42, Allen 3-8, Clifford 2-17, Warren 2-9, Singleton 2-4, Potts 1-16, Cephas 1-11, Kh.Dinkins 1-9.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—Penn St., Felkins 43.
Different than last season? Better than last season? Saturday did little to incite hope.
In fact, the more fitting questions are: Is Iowa worse than last season? By how much? Because Saturday looked like a team with a comparably poor offense and worse defense.
At best, the Hawkeyes looked like they could compete in an underwhelming Big Ten West division but not much more. Much like last season, there appears to be a wide gap between them and the beasts of the Big Ten East.
In spite of the result, McNamara was steadfast in his belief in this Iowa team.
“I don’t think tonight is a reflection of the offense, the defense or the special teams,” McNamara said. “This team is better than what we played tonight. I believe that with my whole heart. And I can promise you we will be fueled. We will be motivated for the rest of this season. But we have to get better after today.”
This brings Iowa to an early-season crossroads. Could McNamara be right? Possibly. But if McNamara is right, Iowa has to prove that Saturday is the exception and not the norm. Is Saturday what Iowa truly is? Or will it be later reflected on as an aberration?
Right now, the only tangible evidence we have of this Iowa team against a Big Ten opponent is what transpired on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. It’s difficult to argue against it until we have more evidence.
Proving McNamara right requires getting a whole lot better. It also means that Iowa needs to stay together.
“They locker room will rally together,” Jay Higgins said, “and just being a leader on this team, I look at those guys and I know they’re completely bought in.”
By no means is this loss the end of the season. There are still a lot of games left to play. The Hawkeyes lost three consecutive games last season before turning the tide and giving themselves a fighting chance, though they weren’t able to finish the job.
But if Iowa is going to go places that it didn’t last year, the Hawkeyes need to start proving it. Saturday is not the end, nor is it a good start.