Iowa Football: Hawkeyes Looking For Mammoth Top 5 Upset Against Penn State
By Joe Favia
Coming off the field after the thrashing in Happy Valley last season, the Hawkeyes seemed rudderless despite having a senior quarterback and a seasoned defense. Expectations were they would be lashed by undefeated Michigan before stumbling into a lower tier bowl game.
But, that is not the story that ended up happening as the Hawkeyes took the week between getting rocked by the Nittany Lions, to effectively ruin the Wolverines playoff plans in Kinnick Stadium.
It is no secret that coming to Iowa City is one of the more difficult places to play. Forget the ‘pink locker room’ and the fans being nearly being on the field on the sideline. Once in awhile the Hawkeyes step up their game against a more talented bunch.
Saturday will need to be one of those days for Iowa.
With the first team of broadcasters coming, the national spotlight will shine on the Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes once again. Bringing to mind the 2008 game when Penn State came in as the #3 team in the country. With the efforts of eventual Doak Walker winner Shonn Greene, and a game-winning field goal by Daniel Murray, Iowa stunned the college football world.
That win catapulted a strong end to the season, and springboarded Iowa to a Orange Bowl season in 2009.
That 2008 Penn State team had talented players on offense such as Evan Royster and Daryl Clark, but neither compares to the tandem of Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley. Barkley is among the favorites early in the season for the Heisman Trophy, and already has NFL pundits buzzing.
Saquon Barkley is the closest thing to Marshall Faulk I've ever seen.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) September 21, 2017
Not much more to say about Saquon Barkley. This was an incredible catch and run on the 85-yard TD. pic.twitter.com/afbZsNccbh
— Greg Pickel (@GregPickel) September 17, 2017
Can Iowa contain a team that did so much damage to them last season?
Iowa had no answers defensively despite having future NFL players in each line of defense. Barkley could see the defeat in their eyes that day:
"“You can kind of see it in the defensive demeanor,” Barkley said, “just the way they approach the field when you are gashing them and gashing them. That is the mentality we have and the mentality that (offensive coordinator Joe) Morehead instills in our offense, that killer mentality, finish them.”"
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz knows what Barkley is capable of telling HawkeyeSports.com:
"Just about everything. He’s an outstanding runner, strong runner, a very fast runner, powerful. 230 pounds they list him at, and also very dangerous in the passing game. They use him in a multitude of ways. He’s very, very tough to contain, run or pass. We’re going to have to really work at it, and it’s going to take a great team effort to get that done.He’s one of several guys that you have to really be concerned about. They’ve got good balance. Their receivers are all very talented. The tight end is a really big threat. They utilize him in a significant way, and I think the quarterback is really the guy that makes them go. He’s the center of everything."
It cannot be said that over the last year, the Iowa defense has magically solved the potential problems Penn State showed that night. Despite limiting what Michigan could do last season, the Hawkeyes couldn’t stop the Florida Gators in the Outback Bowl, and were gashed by Iowa State for 41 points, but two weeks ago.
Iowa may need a ‘coming out party’ of sorts from Nathan Stanley. Stanley leads the Big Ten in touchdown passes, and with the dynamic play-making abilities of Akrum Wadley, they will need to put up points.
Predictions
Season Review:
Joe Favia (Dear Old Gold) 30-8 .789%
Patrick Mooney (Dear Old Gold) 32-6 .842%
Devin Keller (Dear Old Gold) 32-6 .842%
Derrick Mitchell (Former Hawkeye Running Back/Current Incarnate Word RB) 31-7 .815%
Brendan Stiles (Hawkeye Expert) 32-6 .842%
Penn State Nittany Lions At Iowa Hawkeyes:
Joe, Derrick, Devin – Iowa
Patrick, Brendan- Penn State
UNLV Rebels At Ohio State Buckeyes
Joe, Derrick, Patrick, Devin, Brendan- Ohio State
UCF Knights At Maryland Terrapins
Joe, Derrick, Patrick, Devin, Brendan- Maryland
Rutgers Scarlet Knights At Nebraska Cornhuskers
Joe, Patrick, Brendan- Nebraska
Derrick, Devin- Rutgers
Georgia Southern Eagles At Indiana Hoosiers
Joe, Derrick, Patrick, Devin, Brendan-Indiana
Michigan Wolverines At Purdue Boilermakers
Joe, Patrick, Devin, Brendan- Michigan
Derrick- Purdue
Notre Dame Fighting Irish At Michigan State Spartans