Iowa brings balanced offense to No. 17 Penn State
Iowa is showing that it can be a passing team one week and a running team the next.
The development of a balanced attack comes at an opportune time for No. 18 Iowa (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) before its visit to No. 17 Penn State (5-2, 2-2) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Last week, winds in excess of 20 mph dictated that the Hawkeyes keep the ball on the ground, and the offense racked up 224 yards rushing in the 23-0 victory over Maryland.
A week earlier, quarterback Nate Stanley passed for 320 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-16 road victory over Indiana. Three of his touchdown passes went to Iowa’s formidable tight end combo of Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson.
The offensive line also has played a key role for Iowa, allowing a Big Ten-low six sacks in seven games and opening holes for running backs.
“In the offseason, us seniors tried to focus on us being a more cohesive team,” Iowa guard Dalton Ferguson said. “We thought in years past, we were good, but we all weren’t best friends or we weren’t all hanging out with each other. So we made that a premium, and I think it’s paying off for us in the long run.
“It just boils down to communication. We know what each other’s tendencies are going to be and we know what they’re going to do.”
Combine a balanced offense with a dominant defense and Iowa is starting to believe it might have a team that could make some noise in the Big Ten during the final five weeks of the regular season.
A big challenge awaits Iowa this week at Penn State. Two years ago, the Hawkeyes went to State College and had their helmets handed to them as Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley accumulated 280 total yards and three touchdowns in a 41-14 blowout.
Then last year Iowa put Penn State on the ropes in Iowa City before giving up a touchdown on the final play of the game in a heartbreaking 21-19 loss.
While Penn State’ offense is second in the Big Ten in scoring at 42.6 points per game, Iowa’s defense is No. 1 in the conference in scoring defense, giving up just 14.1 points per game.
The Hawkeyes have overcome injuries at linebacker and in the secondary. Newcomers such as freshman cornerback Riley Moss have stepped in to fill voids, but the defensive line has served as the anchor.
That was evident last week in the shutout of Maryland. Iowa gave up just 115 total yards (68 yards rushing) and seven first downs.
This week, the defense will be charged with stopping an offense that’s second in the Big Ten in scoring (42.6 points per game) is led by dual-three quarterback Trace McSorley.
Linebacker Parker Hesse said the key for the defense is to put offenses in third-and-long.
“We want to stop the run and force them into those situations,” Hesse said. “When we get them behind the sticks, that’s when we come out to play.”
