Hawkeye Nation: PSU Recap

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Hawkeye Nation: PSU Recap - DRAFT

9/29/2002 by Jon Miller of Hawkeye Nation

College football can be a heartbreaking game, as there are times when the best team does not emerge victorious. On a Saturday in State College, PA, the Iowa Hawkeyes dominated a football game yet needed overtime to seal the deal, as Iowa beat Penn State for a third time in a row 42-35 in a game that shouldn’t have been that close. Penn State answered the call, and their courage should be commended. But with a 22-point fourth quarter lead, Iowa let an easy victory slip away with several miscues. The Hawkeyes wasted an excellent punt return by Pennsylvania native Ed Hinkel and an interception and return by Pennsylvania native Jovon Johnson. The Hawkeyes fumbled on first and goal from the one late in the game after Johnson’s 32-yard INT return to the PSU one yard line, in addition to letting a pass slip through their hands at the goal line for a Penn State interception after Hinkel 56 yard punt return. In a game that was dominated at the line of scrimmage by the Hawkeyes, the Penn State Nittany Lions were closer than they ever should have been Iowa showed heart and determination is pulling out the overtime victory, the second game in a row that these two teams have gone to an extra session at Penn State. With the win, Kirk Ferentz’s Iowa Hawkeyes become just the third team to beat a Joe Paterno coached Penn State team three times in a row. Iowa also upended the #12 ranked team in the nation on this day. The Hawkeyes continued to flex their muscles at the line of scrimmage, gaining more than 200 yards on the ground against Penn State while yielding less than 60 yards on the ground. The Iowa defensive line, considered to be a question mark through much of the pre-season, answered the call against Penn State on this day. Iowa rarely committed more than five players to defend against the Nittany Lion rushing attack and they eliminated that portion of the Penn State offense. Penn State quarterback Zack Mills passed for 397 yards, as Iowa’s pass defense continued an alarming trend of being soft against the pass. But many of those yards came out of desperation, as Penn State could do little else. Iowa overcame the two critical turnovers that would have put the game out of reach, in addition to committing nine penalties for 85 yards. Iowa running back Fred Russell was held slightly below is 157 yards per game averaged and finished with 150 yards on 30 carries. Brad Banks was 18 of 20 for 260 yards and four touchdowns in addition to two interceptions; one that was his own forced error and the aforementioned tipped interception. Iowa’s wide receivers had a strong showing, as Mo Brown caught five passes for 111 yards and one touchdown and CJ Jones caught two touchdown passes, including the game winner in overtime. Each team had their share of breaks, but the Hawkeyes nearly gave the game away with mental mistakes and turnovers. BUT, this game may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Hawkeyes, in addition to facing possibly their most difficult league foe. Iowa has the luxury of preparing for Purdue knowing that they should have blown Penn State out of ‘Heart Attack’ Valley, yet the Iowa coaches will have plenty of mistakes to work on with the team this week. If you had asked any Iowa fan before the game if they would have been pleased with a seven point win, every person would have answered with a resounding ‘YES!’ So Hawkeye fans should be pleased with the final outcome, even though the game should not have been this close. Great teams find a way to win the close one, and this game could go a long way to proving to each and every Hawkeye player that they can win the close ones. The Hawkeyes have no reason not to believe that they can’t win the Big Ten conference crown. They avoid Ohio State this year and again, it seems clear that this team can run on any opponent. NOTES: Nate Kaeding continued one streak today while seeing another streak come to an end. The junior place kicker from Iowa City West has made 13 straight field goals, after connecting on 47 and 55-yard attempts in this game. However, Penn State blocked one of his PAT attempts, ending that streak at 60 in a row before his third attempt of the game was blocked. Iowa atoned for that miscue by blocking a PAT of their own and returning it for a two-point defensive conversion. In the end, Iowa emerged victorious which is all that matters. But the Hawkeye coaches will have plenty to harp on this week in practice, which should be looked upon as a good thing for a team that now believes it is a Big Ten title contender.

Hawkeye Nation was founded by Jon Miller, and later acquired by Rivals and Sports Illustrated. You can visit them at HawkeyeNation.com

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