Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1043117
P R E G A M E R E P O R T I O W A @ P E N N S T A T E T I M E 3 : 3 0 P . M . , O C T . 2 7 | T V E S P N IOWA FACTS COACH Kirk Ferentz (Connecti- cut, '78) COACH'S RECORD 149-98 (89- 69 Big Ten) in 20 seasons at Iowa; career record: 161-119 2018 RECORD 6-1, 3-1 Big Ten RECORD VS. PSU The Lions lead the all-time series, 15-12. MOST RECENT MEETING Saquon Barkley amassed 358 all- purpose yards, and Trace McSor- ley threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson as time expired to give visiting Penn State a 21-19 comeback victory over the Hawkeyes on Sept. 23, 2017. GOOD NEWS Iowa ranks fourth in the country in scoring defense, as opponents have averaged only 14.1 points per game. Through seven games, the Hawkeyes have held four oppo- nents (Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Indiana and Maryland) to season- low point totals. They've surren- dered a Big Ten-low 13 TDs. BAD NEWS One of the drawbacks to front- loading the schedule with home games is that most of the back- stretch takes place on the road. This week's game at Penn State is part of a five-week stretch during which Iowa will play four road games. DID YOU KNOW? With Iowa's next victory, Ferentz will become only the fifth coach in Big Ten history to win 150 games as a member of the con- ference (including nonconference wins while coaching a Big Ten team). The others: Woody Hayes (202), Amos Alonzo Stagg (199), Bo Schembechler (194) and Joe Paterno (162). M A T T H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Things were looking grim for Penn State last September as its offense took the field one last time against Iowa. The Nittany Lions needed a touchdown, and they needed it fast. They had only 1 minute, 42 seconds in which to gain 80 yards, and while yards hadn't been much of a problem that night – they had amassed nearly 500 in the game's first 52 minutes – points were a different matter. The Lions had amassed only 15 of those. But one last chance was all that Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley needed. He calmly dissected the Hawkeyes' secondary, completing 6 of 10 passes and converting a fourth down to put the Lions at the Iowa 7-yard line with four seconds left. Then, on fourth-and-goal, he fired a pass into the end zone and found Juwan Johnson crossing over the middle for the deci- sive score in a 21-19 victory. Looking back on the end of last year's meeting Hawkeyes view Penn State's 'tremendous quarterback' as major challenge 1 O C T O B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Defensive end A.J. Epenesa chases after McSorley dur- ing last year's game between Penn State and Iowa. Photo by Steve Manuel TRUE GRIT