Iowa Football: Hawkeyes lose home game to Penn State Nittany Lions

The Iowa football team failed their first test at home as the Hawks lost to the Nittany Lions 17-12. Let’s quickly recap the second consecutive loss.

The Iowa football team came into this game with some justified frustration.

After similar losses at Wisconsin in 2017 and at Penn State in 2018, Iowa imploded and wound up losing the next game on their schedule, both years to Purdue.

Unfortunately, the history of the last two years has repeated itself for the third time in 2019.

The problems we saw last week against Michigan did not go away.

The Hawkeyes still couldn’t figure out their interior line and it led to sacks, losses on runs plays, and two turnovers. Iowa was bailed out by a questionable review which overturned a touchdown but was unable to take advantage of it, so the point was moot.

Field position played a part in Iowa’s troubles on offense. Iowa football started drives inside of their own 7-yard line on three occasions in the second half.

Road wins are uncommon against good opponents in college football. James Franklin finally got his first.

While truly elite teams find a way to win on the road, good teams frequently lose to other good teams away from home. Last week, we, unfortunately, learned that Iowa football, in 2019, is not elite. After this loss, I am not convinced that the Hawkeyes are a good team right now.

This game wasn’t a blowout like it was three years ago, but even at 10-6 with 9 minutes left in the game – before the Stanley interception – it felt insurmountable.

Penn State then drove down the field and scored a touchdown that put the game out of reach.

Brandon Smith had one of the most amazing catches of the year to give the Iowa football faithful some hope. Penn State, unfortunately, was able to run the clock out on the ensuing drive.

Against good teams, Iowa’s offense is capable of moving the ball, but they sputter frequently. Against Michigan, it was mistakes in the form of sacks and penalties. Against Penn State, it was more of the same.

Iowa football did score a TD, which is a silver lining of sorts. But this was a game Iowa needed. Michigan needed the game against Iowa last week and they found a way. Today, there was a clear path for Iowa, but they were unable to take it.

This year is not 2015, nor is it 2009. A team that felt as if it could be a special version of Iowa football appears to be a season that will soon be forgotten by most Hawkeye fans.

Next week, Iowa football plays Purdue – a team we seem to always play after a tough loss – in the confines of Kinnick Stadium. Purdue is a beatable team, but so are Michigan and Penn State.

The records Iowa football set against Middle Tennessee two weeks ago seem like they happened two decades ago. Hopefully, the Hawkeyes can figure out how to move the ball consistently and score points as we did then.