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staggering 599 yards of offense while surrendering only 234. The difference between the two teams' respective rush- ing numbers was even more striking. In improving to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten, the Lions out-rushed Iowa 359- 30. "We had talked about how physical this game was going to be up front, O- line and D-line," Franklin said. "I thought we proved that we can match up with people. We're making tremendous progress." Here's a look at the good and the bad: THE GOOD • Penn State's offensive playmakers all came up big. Saquon Barkley finished with 167 yards rushing, including a 57- yard touchdown, and he added a 44-yard TD catch. Trace McSorley threw for 240 yards and two TDs. Mike Gesicki had a 43-yard reception to set up a touchdown and finished with four catches for 65 yards. Chris Godwin had four catches for 87 yards. For the third time in the past four games, Penn State scored on its opening possession. Saeed Blacknall ended the 52-yard drive with a nice catch in the back of the end zone over All-American Desmond King. One of the keys to that performance was the Lions' success on third down. They went into the game converting on only 25 percent of their opportunities, but they hit 7 of 14 against Iowa and didn't have a single three-and-out the entire evening. "I thought the third- down conversions were huge," Franklin said. "We were at 50 percent on third down. That's something we hadn't really done." • Penn State's steadily improving de- fense set a tone early in the game. The hit that Jason Cabinda laid on C.J. Beathard on a fourth-and-short quarterback sneak in the first quarter was one of the best of the year. Beathard shuddered backward and was brought down behind the line of scrimmage for a key stop. The Lions' run defense was very effec- tive all night, especially in short-yardage situations, as Iowa averaged only 1.2 yards per carry. Franklin attributed the team's success to a number of factors, from the full-time return of tackle Curtis Cothran and end Garrett Sickels from suspensions, to the installation of a nutrition bar next to the Lasch Building's weight room. "There are a lot of things that are contributing to this," Franklin said. "It's not one thing. There are so many things that are going well right now. We just have to keep building on them." Not to be overshadowed, the secondary also came up with a big play when Troy Apke finished off Iowa's faint comeback hopes with an interception to start the fourth quarter. Beathard had only thrown four interceptions all season, and this one set up Barkley's 44-yard touchdown catch one play later. • Iowa went into the game with one of the Big Ten's best turnover margins at plus-seven, but Penn State won this bat- tle; it didn't turn the ball over once. • Joey Julius had three touchbacks on his seven kickoffs, helping neutralize King, one of the country's better return specialists. THE BAD • Not much to report here, but the Lions did suffer a potentially significant loss when tackle Brendan Mahon le? the game in the first half with an apparent leg injury. Mahon had been coming on strong this season, so his absence for an extended period would be a blow. SCORING SUMMARY 1ST 12:43 PSU Blacknall, Saeed 19-yard pass from McSorley, Trace (Davis, Tyler kick) 6 plays, 52 yards, TOP 2:17.......................................................... 0-7 2ND 10:28 PSU Barkley, Saquon 57-yard run (Davis, Tyler kick) 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 3:07...................................................... 0-14 7:58 PSU McSorley, Trace 1-yard run (Davis, Tyler kick) 4 plays, 62 yards, TOP 1:21.........................................................0-21 4:18 Iowa Wadley, Akrum 12-yard pass from Beathard, C.J. (Duncan, Keith kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:40........................................................ 7-21 0:00 PSU Davis, Tyler 30-yard field goal 10 plays, 63 yards, TOP 4:13......................................................7-24 3RD 2:48 PSU Davis, Tyler 37-yard field goal 11 plays, 31 yards, TOP 4:20....................................................... 7-27 4TH 14:41 PSU Barkley, Saquon 44-yard pass from McSorley, Trace (Davis, Tyler kick) 1 play, 44 yards, TOP 0:08.........................................................7-34 9:28 PSU Stevens, Tommy 13-yard run (Davis, Tyler kick) 6 plays, 58 yards, TOP 3:26....................................................... 7-41 6:30 Iowa Smith, Jerminic 36-yard pass from Beathard, C.J. (Duncan, Keith kick) 9 plays, 81 yards, TOP 2:54...................................................... 14-41 N O V E M B E R 6 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 2

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