Iowa Football Season Review Part I: Games One through Four

Penn State 21 Iowa 23

With a ranked opponent coming into Kinnick, fans and players were excited at the possibility the Hawkeyes might be able to win the game. With the win over Michigan the November before, upsetting a ranked opponent was still fresh in Iowa’s mind. Could they pull another upset? It was possible but after their performance against North Texas, there were some doubts about how Iowa would perform. And many people didn’t think they had a chance to win this game.

Iowa Hawkeyes Football

The Hawkeyes and the Nittany Lions played a very close game throughout. The Hawkeyes even led at one point before Penn State managed to win the game on a last-second touchdown pass from Trace McSorely to Juwan Johnson. That pass was a shocker and if you were at the game or watched it on television, the crowd went from 60 to zero in a matter of three seconds. Here Iowa had the win in hand, but that chance slipped away on that last-second touchdown pass.

The offensive player of the game for Iowa was Akrum Wadley. Wadley had two scores, one on a long pass and a run to help the Hawks stay with Penn State. He rushed for 92 yards and caught 75 yards worth of passes. His effort was the difference for the Hawkeyes.

On defense, Josey Jewell played like a man possessed. Not only did he have 16 total tackles but also had three tackles for a loss, one recovered fumble and a 33-yard interception return. He was the defender that kept the defense on task and Iowa in the game. For the defense, even though they allowed all-star running back Saquon Barkley to run for 214 yards and gain 94 yards through the air, they still played a good enough game not to get blown out.

Iowa’s ability to hand tough with the Nittany Lions showed people that they were much stronger than some thought. They would surely be able to beat the weaker teams in the Big Ten and hang with the tougher teams, wouldn’t they? We were about to find out.