The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Defenses should rule the day in battle with Iowa
IOWA CITY, IOWA >> After more than four decades in the game, Kirk Ferentz knows a thing or two about football, especially line play.
Ferentz, the longtime Iowa coach, built his reputation guiding the offensive line for the Hawkeyes under Hayden Fry and then for the Cleveland Browns under Bill Belichick.
So, few are as qualified to evaluate the Penn State defensive line as he is.
“Their ends look like NFL guys,” Ferentz said. “They’re linear and they all move extremely well. 99 (Yetur Gross-Matos) has received a lot of attention. 28 (Jayson Oweh) is similar. They look like they’re cloned. They have great takeoff on the snap.
“They’re well-coached and they’re aggressive. Their inside guys are heavier and stockier. They look like an NFL front because of that.”
Penn State’s talented and deep defensive line hopes to cause havoc when the No. 10 Nittany Lions (2-0 Big Ten, 5-0) meet No. 17 Iowa (1-1, 4-1) tonight at 7:30 at Kinnick Stadium (TV-ABC).
Behind Gross-Matos and Shaka Toney, Penn State leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks with 5.0 per game, including 10 last week against Purdue. The Lions finished last season as the FBS leaders in sacks.
“We don’t really think about those things until the end of the season,” Toney said. “It’s a nice thing to know, but our goal is not to lead the nation in sacks after five games. It’s to be consistent every single game and to get to the quarterback on third down. That’s our job.”
Michigan got to Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley last week and dropped him eight times in a 10-3 victory in Ann Arbor. Only Illinois (15), Minnesota (16) and Purdue (16) have allowed more sacks in the Big Ten than the Hawkeyes (14).
“The similarities (between the Michigan and Penn State defenses) are that both teams have good players at all three levels,” Ferentz said. “They play hard. They play smart. They keep the pressure on you.
“Michigan is more of a blitz outfit. Penn State does it without (much blitzing). They’re both disruptive and they make plays. There’s a reason why both are so good on defense.”
Iowa also is very good on defense, holding its last nine opponents to 28 points or less. Led by defensive end A.J. Epenesa and safety Geno Stone, the Hawkeyes haven’t allowed more than 17 points in any game this season and rank third in the FBS in scoring defense (8.8 points per game), one spot behind Penn State (7.4).
“What they do, they do extremely well,” Penn State offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne said. “They’re a wellcoached team that is very talented. I think a lot of people downgrade their talent sometimes, and that’s just not true.
“They do a great job of recruiting kids who fit their system and play well in that system. It’s a talented team. It’s a physical team. They’re big. Their coaches put them in position to succeed.”
On offense, the Lions (47.0 points per game) have been far more productive than the Hawkeyes (27.4). Sophomore quarterback Sean Clifford has completed 66.7 percent of his passes in his first season as the Penn State starter and leads the Big Ten in passing yards and total offense.
“(Former Penn State quarterback Trace) McSorley was a really good quarterback,” Ferentz said. “He looked like an extremely strong leader. You can’t say that about Clifford yet. But as far as running their offense, throwing the ball and running effectively, he’s done those things.
“He’s done a really good job. Everybody has to be very, very impressed by the job that he’s done, especially for a young player like that.”
The game likely will be decided by the guys on the line of scrimmage, an area where Iowa has been strong historically.
“I have a lot of respect for Iowa,” Toney said. “We’ve played them over the years, and it’s always been a tough game. I think they’re going to come out and play better than (they did against Michigan).
“We’re going to get a team that’s fueled by their stadium and fueled to get back on track. They’re going to come out and throw a lot of punches and we have to be able to respond.”