Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/752868
GAME BREAKER Barkley finished with 167 rushing yards in the Nit- tany Lions' 41-14 rout of Iowa. Photo by Steve Manuel POWERING UP Push comes to shove, as PSU puts its burgeoning physical prowess on display oints weren't really the issue. Mo- ments after suffering a 41-14 loss to the Nittany Lions, Iowa quar- terback C.J. Beathard was asked to as- sess his spirits and those of his Hawkeye teammates. Beathard summed up his feelings thusly: "I mean, we just got killed, so it's tough coming off a loss like that." Killed is one way to put it. Crushed, manhandled, pushed around, or beaten badly are a few others. A former Penn State head coach might have used the word "licked." No matter the adjective or description, the takeaway was overwhelmingly evi- dent: In a startling evolution in the pro- gram's recent history, Penn State was physically dominant against Iowa. And the opponent, though outed as having taken significant steps back from its Rose Bowl season last year, made it that much more noticeable. Throughout the week leading up to the game, Penn State head coach James Franklin directed all attention to a simple question of matchups that he believed would determine the outcome. "I think it really starts with them, like it always does at Iowa, up front," he said. "The program has been built around that. They always seem to have good running backs. They're going to play ball-control offense, not make any mistakes, keep it a low-scoring game on defense, and also find some playmakers on special teams, and [they're going to] be well-coached. "That's kind of their model. It's going to be our defensive line against their of- fensive line. I think it's going to be our offensive line against their front seven." Acknowledging that his Nittany Lions have been getting better in the trenches throughout the course of the season, Franklin's weekly hints of improvement were on full display against Iowa on both sides of the ball. Defensively, the Lions weren't able to sack Beathard until the second half, but between a tormenting line and hard- JUDGMENT CALL P