Iowa vs. Penn State
Iowa has owned Penn State over the last few years. The Hawkeyes have won eight of the last nine meetings with the Nittany Lions. Glenn Carson, a linebacker at Penn State, managed to give Iowa a little bit of extra fuel for this one with his comments earlier this week.
Carson said, “Iowa is a wrestling school and Penn State is a football school, so we’ve got to take it to them.” Both of these teams are down quite a bit from where they were a couple years ago, but we should still expect a hard fought battle in Happy Valley on Saturday.
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Beaver Stadium
Saturday October 8, 3:30 PM EST
NCAA Football Odds from Bookmaker
Moneyline: Penn State (-165) Iowa (+145)
College Football Spread: Iowa +3.5 (-110) Penn State -3.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 46.5
The Hawkeyes dropped a triple overtime game at Iowa State earlier this year, but they did bounce back with wins over Pittsburgh and Louisiana-Monroe. James Vandenburg has been terrific for the Hawkeyes at quarterback this year. Vandenburg has thrown 10 touchdowns and just one interception, while completing 62.8% of his passes. Marvin McNutt is his favorite target on the outside, and he already has four touchdown receptions this season. The Iowa running game hasn’t gotten going very well. Marcus Coker is a solid runner, but Iowa is 69th out of 120 teams in rushing yards per game. The offensive line needs to do a better job opening up holes.
Iowa’s defense lost a ton of talent at the end of last season. This year’s unit doesn’t have near as many stars. The secondary should be one of the best in the league with Prater and Hyde at the corners, but Iowa has allowed 253 yards per game through the air. The defensive front has done a good job stopping the run, but they need to do better pressuring the quarterback.
Joe Paterno still can’t decide on a quarterback. Matt McGloin and Robert Bolden continue to share time under center. McGloin’s numbers are a little bit better, but neither quarterback has been particularly impressive. Derek Moye is one of the Big Ten’s best receivers, and the team needs to get him the football as often as possible. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Moye has 26 receptions and three touchdowns so far this year. Silas Redd has been the primary runner for Penn State this year. Redd is averaging a respectable 4.7 yards per carry. Stephfon Green, a talented runner, is expected to make his season debut this Saturday. The Nittany Lions offensive line has struggled quite a bit this year.
Penn State’s defense has been excellent so far this season. The Nittany Lions rank fifth in the nation in total defense and seventh in the nation in pass defense. Penn State does have a couple key injuries that are likely to hurt them quite a bit on this side of the ball this week. D’Anton Lynn, one of their best corners, will miss this game with a neck injury. Michael Mauti, the heart and soul of the defense, tore ligaments in his knee two weeks ago and he will miss the rest of the season.
Penn State’s offense just hasn’t gotten going this year. Iowa’s defense will stack the box and force the Nittany Lions to throw. Penn State has a very solid defense, and despite the injuries I expect them to play well here.
Free College Football Pick: Under 46.5
Score Prediction: Penn State 20 Iowa 17
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