NFL
By: Courtney Walsh
Saturday is an opportunity to move to 4-0 and 2-0 in Big 10 play for our Penn State Nittany Lions. Iowa comes to town and has the pleasure of being part of one of the best nights in sports “The White Out” game which you have to experience in person to fully understand how awesome it is. These two teams always have some classic battles and looking at the weather which calls for rain it should be another one to add to the rivalry. What are the areas and players I will be keeping an eye on this week?
They Love To Run, Can We Stop It?
So Iowa will start with the running game and end with the running game. So with that being said who will win that battle will determine a whole lot in this contest. Penn State’s defensive interior comes in healthy and has been good this season but without question, this is its biggest test to date we have to be consistent and maintain the gaps. If we are able to shut down the Hawkeyes’ run game things swing heavily into our favor, like most things easy to say harder to do. Finding the sweet spot of pass rushing and being able to react to the runs will be something to keep an eye on.
Lock In
When playing against teams that you know you are better than you can afford some mistakes and get by with them. The deeper we get into conference play the more you can NOT think that way. I’m not saying that Iowa is USC or Ohio State but,, when the defense has been beaten more times than not it has been a mental mistake. We saw a few drops last week and no one could have left that game last week feeling like we owned Illinois it had moments that were sloppy. How does this team react if they have an early turnover or Iowa comes out and takes the lead over Penn State? With all the hype that is The White Out is Drew Allar ready for it? Allar is completing 67.0 percent of his passes for 737 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. The Iowa defense is known to wait for you to make a mistake and then strike, Allar has been Mr. Chill so far that being true on Saturday is a factor to consider. A steady diet of the run game will also be a plus for our offense.
Take Advantage Of Missing Hawkeyes
Coming into this contest the Hawkeyes are without 3 of their best, yes injuries suck but such is the game of football. It’s next man up but on the other side of the field, you have to think those number two’s are backups for a reason. TE Luke Lacey, RBs Kaleb Johnson, and Jaziun Patterson for an offense that is already not full of weapons this is a major blow. And here is an interesting nugget. The school revised offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz’s contract with a clause that requires the team to score at least 25 points per game this year or he will be fired. The Hawkeyes are currently averaging 28.3 points per contest and just notched their largest scoring output of the season in a 41-10 win over Western Michigan. No pressure.
Overall, I think Penn State handles the hype and rain and gets it done walking away with a 31-17 win and continuing the journey of the 2023 season. Look for a better effort and bounce-back game. Rock ya white and cheer on the Nittany Lions #WeAre
