Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1138762
P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> 2018 RECORD 9-4, 5-4 Big Ten COACH Kirk Ferentz (152-101 in 20 sea- sons at Iowa; career record: 164-122) SERIES RECORD The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series, 16-12. MOST RECENT MEETING Trace McSor- ley bounced back from a knee injury to run for a 51-yard touchdown in the third quarter, and Iowa native Jake Pinegar hit three =eld goals of more than 40 yards, helping Penn State rally from an early 12-point de=cit to win, 30-24, on Oct. 27, 2018, at Beaver Stadium. OFFENSE Iowa has one of the top quar- terbacks in the Big Ten in senior Nate Stanley. Stanley has thrown 52 touch- down passes during his two-year stint as the team's starter, the most ever by an Iowa quarterback in consecutive sea- sons. He will no doubt miss tight ends Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson, both of whom le? early to enter the dra? and were selected within the =rst 20 picks. The Hawkeyes have also lost last year's leading receiver, Nick Easley. Juniors Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Brandon Smith will need to step into bigger roles. In the back=eld, Iowa may again take a committee approach, with Mekhi Sar- gent, Toren Young and Ivory Kelly-Mar- tin all getting carries. DEFENSE The Hawkeyes have suffered some big graduation losses on this side of the ball, especially along the defensive line, where four 13-game starters have departed. However, they do return junior A.J. Epenesa, a 280- pound defensive end who didn't start any games but still led the Big Ten in sacks with 10.5 and had 16.5 tackles for loss. The linebacker corps and secondary have also sustained some major losses, including safety Amani Hooker, the Big Ten's Defensive Back of the Year, and the team's leading tackler, linebacker Jake Gervase. But Iowa does return four cornerbacks with starting experience. SPECIAL TEAMS The Hawkeyes need to replace kicker Miguel Recinos, who was 8 of 9 from beyond 40 yards last season, but they welcome back punter Colten Rastetter, and they boast one of the na- tion's top kick returners in Smith- Marsette. As a sophomore, Smith-Marsette ranked second in the nation with a 29.5-yard average. SCHEDULE Iowa's nonconference op- ponents – Miami (Ohio), Iowa State, Middle Tennessee State – all look beat- able, and so does its =rst Big Ten oppo- nent: Rutgers. But a?er wrapping up what could well be an unbeaten Septem- ber, the Hawkeyes will face Michigan and Penn State on consecutive Satur- days. They avoid Ohio State for the sec- ond year in a row, but except for Penn State, their toughest Big Ten games (Michigan, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Nebraska) are all on the road. GAME OF THE YEAR The Hawkeyes sure do play a lot of trophy games. They compete annually for the Cy-Hawk Tro- phy (against Iowa State), the Heartland Trophy (Wisconsin), the Heroes Trophy (Nebraska) and, of course, Floyd of Rosedale (Minnesota). They've won 13 of their past 16 trophy games, with all three of their losses coming against Wiscon- sin. That probably makes their Nov. 9 visit to Camp Randall Stadium the year's biggest game. OUTLOOK The Hawkeyes ended last season on a roll, winning their last three, including a 27-22 victory over Missis- sippi State in the Outback Bowl. A lot of the key players in that late-season surge are gone, but Stanley is a steady hand around whom they can rebuild. What's more, the early-season schedule is man- ageable, which means that Iowa may be able to maintain its momentum into that visit to Ann Arbor on Oct. 5. The game against Michigan, and the one that fol- lows against Penn State, should give us a pretty good idea of this team's potential. If it's good enough to match up against two of the East Division's perennial powers, it's de=nitely good enough to contend in the West. –M.H. WEEK 6 IOWA TOP RETURNEES PASSING Nate Stanley 235 of 396 | 2,852 yds. | 26 TD | 10 int. RUSHING Mekhi Sargent 159 att. | 745 yds. | 9 TD RECEIVING Ihmir Smith-Marsette 23 rec. | 361 yds. | 3 TD TACKLING Djimon Colbert 25 solo | 27 asst. | 52 total SACKS A.J. Epenesa 10.5 sacks | 66 yds. T I M E T B A | O C T . 1 2 | K I N N I C K S T A D I U M | I O W A C I T Y , I O W A STAN THE MAN Stanley's 52 touch- down passes are the most ever thrown by an Iowa quarterback in con- secutive seasons. Photo by Bill An- derson