Well, after two consecutive weeks of losing in Beaver Stadium to football teams that we should have easily beaten, the Nittany Lions finally have a win and hopefully, the start of a new winning streak! (This game was still WAY too close for comfort, but we won, and a win is A WIN!)
For one, I have never before seen Happy Valley so, well… not “Happy” on a football Saturday. The general atmosphere on GameDay in State College this week is not as exuberant as it usually is, and the Stadium is not nearly as packed as normal – only 90,000 in attendance rather than the usual 110,000 screaming fans. The weather is freezing, rainy, and gloomy in general. I am a little nervous about how our Nittany Lions will handle the weather and whether they will be able to turn around their recent losses.
Fig. 1. Grovich, Chris. “Post-Spring Preview: Iowa.” Roar Lions Roar, 17 May 2017, www.roarlionsroar.com/college-football/2017/05/2250/2017-penn-state-football-schedule-iowa.
At first, the team seems to stumble and they don’t look good. Frankly, Penn State’s playing performance is analogous to the weather: pretty sloppy at times and a bit gloomy. But just like the weather, it isn’t unbearable – just not all that pleasant. The fact that we give up four points early in the game through two safeties by Iowa’s defense is honestly ridiculous. For a Big 10 football program with the athletic tradition and talent that Penn State has, these mistakes should not happen. In fact, for most of the first half of the game, we have negative yardage gains.
Meanwhile, Iowa is looking pretty strong offensively, and Penn State’s offense isn’t able to capitalize during their time on the field. Luckily, after the second quarter and through the end of the game, we finally see the Nittany Lion team that we want to see.
Fig. 2. Sedor, Michael. “Penn State Football Links: Urban Meyer Talks Coaching Speculation; PSU Trails West Virginia as Beast of the East.” PennLive.com, PennLive.com, 13 Oct. 2011, blog.pennlive.com/pasports/2011/10/penn_state_football_meyer_urban.html.
In the Iowa game, Penn State shows that it can be a great second-half team. After halftime, the defense seems more aggressive and consistent. Trace, who left with an injury, returns to lead the team on several drives. That said, Tommy Stevens also has some great plays. For me as a fan, it’s really amazing to see how quickly the PSU offense is able to adapt to each quarterback, substituting in for each other on different plays. Yes, both Tommy and Trace are incredible quarterbacks, but they have different styles and adjusting to those differences must take some incredible focus and skill by our offensive line.
One thing I still don’t understand is why Penn State did not make more plays to run down the clock in the fourth quarter. In a close game, you never want to leave your opponent with time to score.
Fig. 3. Schlarp, Thomas. “Penn State Hangs on to Beat Iowa on a Sloppy Day in Happy Valley | Instant Reaction.” The Daily Collegian, 27 Oct. 2018, www.collegian.psu.edu/football/article_e283b416-da3c-11e8-9fd4-4b4600a4aee1.html.
Some things to take away from Penn State’s performance in the Iowa game:
Tommy Stevens is a very good football player and a good leader for our team. It’s hard to fathom, but there will be a day when we won’t have Trace McSorley behind the ball. Thankfully, after Tommy’s performance on Saturday, I feel a lot better about PSU’s quarterback situation for next season.
Jahan Dotson, a first-year wide receiver, can make some pretty impactful offensive moves, just as he did in the Kent State game. He is there to make a big first down play when we need it the most. Another big first-year player is freshman linebacker Micah Parsons, who has steadily improved on Penn State’s defense and is the reason for a lot of the stops on Saturday.
Safety Nick Scott also plays beautifully. His interception late in the fourth quarter is one of the reasons that Penn State won the game. Because of the early safeties that added four points for Iowa, if Iowa had scored on that drive, Penn State would have faced its third straight loss at home.
DeAndre Thompkins and KJ Hamler continue to be Nittiany Lion powerhouses on the field. They are consistently fast and aggressive, and they will not go down without a fight.
Fig. 4. Sokoloski, Paul. “PSU Report Card: Big Plays Help Nittany Lions Smash Iowa.” Times Leader, Times Leader, 6 Nov. 2016, www.timesleader.com/sports/penn-state/604161/big-plays-help-penn-state-break-away.
In the end, I am so glad that Penn State pulls out a win this week. Even with the gloomy weather and the less-than-usual exuberance in the pre-game atmosphere, a lot of players step up in a big way to turn the game to our favor. I continue to believe that the Nittany Lions have a lot of potential this year and for years to come. In truth, it’s a young team. Whether they achieve their potential to become the great team that they can be this season and in the seasons to come is the real question.
Here is a video of some highlights of the game!