Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1526526
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 4 6 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M What the Lions did have was a stout defense headlined by linebackers Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor and Tim Shaw, cornerback Alan Zemaitis and defensive linemen Tamba Hali and Derek Wake. While Penn State couldn't score, it had a way of turning games against superior opponents into competitive slugfests. That's exactly what happened when they welcomed Iowa to Beaver Stadium on Oct. 23, 2004. The Hawkeyes were 4-2 and were ranked 25th in the Associated Press poll at the time. They had scored 38 points against Michigan State and 33 against Ohio State, both wins, and were eyeing a Big Ten title. Against Penn State, though, Iowa wasn't able to do much. The Hawkeyes totaled 168 yards of offense, with quar- terback Drew Tate managing only 14 completions on 31 attempts for 126 yards. Leading rusher Sam Brownlee, a walk-on thrust into action because the team's top four tailbacks were hurt, gained just 30 yards on 16 carries. Even Iowa's scoring drives were under- whelming. The first lasted 15 plays and even included a successful fake field goal but still yielded only three points. The second, which was set up by a 50-yard interception return after an errant pass by Zack Mills, didn't gain a single yard and resulted in another field goal. But at least the Hawkeyes managed a couple of scoring drives. The Nittany Li- ons' points came on a pair of safeties, one of which was intentional. The Lions took an early 2-0 lead when a snap sailed over the head of Iowa punter David Bradley, prompting him to kick the ball out the back of the end zone so that PSU couldn't fall on it for a touchdown. Bradley also took the second safety. Rather than attempt a punt from under- neath his own goal post, he darted to his right then stepped out the back of the end zone, making the score 6-4. That there were still eight minutes left to play when Iowa voluntarily turned it into a two-point game was perhaps the most telling indication of just how little Kirk Ferentz and his staff feared Penn State's offense. Their confidence proved entirely jus- tified. Penn State got two more posses- sions, both of which ended in first-play turnovers by Michael Robinson, who had come on in relief of Mills. Iowa held on, handing the Nittany Lions their fourth consecutive loss in what would turn out to be a 4-7 season. PSU finished the game with 51 rushing yards, 112 passing yards, 6 first downs and 5 turnovers. Kicker Robbie Gould, who would go on to play 18 seasons in the NFL, missed a pair of field goals. "I don't think we can play much poorer than we did today," Paterno said after- ward. "We just didn't play very well of- fensively." Another Classic There is a more upbeat way of looking back at this infamous game, rather than viewing it as the nadir of a bleak chap- ter in Penn State's football history. The Nittany Lions, for all their problems, had managed to keep the eventual Big Ten co-champion Hawkeyes within reach for 60 minutes. If they could just find some playmakers on offense, maybe they could engineer a turnaround season in 2005. There were some worthy candidates. Robinson was set to return for his senior year, and with Mills graduating, the mul- tifaceted offensive star would have the quarterback position all to himself rather than having to fill a variety of roles. In addition, several underclassmen had impressed on the offensive line (Levi Brown, A.Q. Shipley) and in the backfield (Tony Hunt), while a walk-on wide re- ceiver from Virginia named Deon Butler was starting to turn heads in practice. As for the defense, which totaled 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 6 batted passes against Iowa, there was ample rea- son to feel optimistic going forward. Most of the stars were returning from a unit that allowed only 15.5 points per game in eight Big Ten outings. Several Penn State defenders told ESPN that they came out of the Iowa game feel- ing hopeful about the team's outlook. "We wanted to see what we were made of," cornerback Anwar Phillips said. "Walking away from that, we were happy. We pretty much dictated whatever we wanted them to do." Added defensive end Matthew Rice, "That really put a stamp on our identity and who we were as a team. … We strug- gled a lot on offense that year, but we al- ways performed like a family on the field." That family stayed together and won 11 games in 2005, sharing the Big Ten championship with Ohio State and beat- ing Florida State in the Orange Bowl. It's a bit easier to chuckle about the low points, knowing that the high points were just around the corner. It should also be noted that there are people who enjoy the 6-4 game unironi- cally. One of those people showed up in the comment section below a YouTube highlights package taken from ESPN's broadcast. "A lot of fans hate games like this," the viewer wrote. "I live for them. Nothing better than a good old-fashioned defen- sive struggle. Another classic." ■ Linebacker Paul Posluszny was a sophomore in 2004 and one of the rising stars on a defense that was quietly developing into one of the nation's best. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL "I don't think we can play much poorer than we did today. We just didn't play very well offensively." J O E P A T E R N O