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found itself with a path to the Big Ten Championship Game by virtue of the Wolverines' loss. But now that it's the Nit- tany Lions' turn to visit Iowa City, that re- sult seems more like a cautionary tale than a cause for celebration. Penn State hasn't been to Iowa since the 2012 season, which means that no one on its current team has experienced the at- mosphere, including the coaching staff. But they've heard all about Kinnick, from the famous pink locker rooms to the tight dimensions of the field itself, a configura- tion that assures that the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions will get an earful from fans seated just behind their bench. Penn State has gone 1-4 in its past five trips to Iowa, and that includes a game in 2008 in which the then-No. 3 Nittany Lions saw their national championship hopes end with a last-second 24-23 loss. "Obviously [there's] tremendous respect for their program," James Franklin said ear- lier this week. "You look at their record, and their record against top-10 opponents at home, especially playing at night. It's going to be a challenge. "I've never been there. I want to educate our players. I want to educate myself on what to expect. I've talked to a lot of peo- ple. I've called a lot of people. I've asked a lot of questions. That place is going to be rocking Saturday night. Their sidelines are very tight. Their fans are going to be right up against you." Saturday's matchup with Penn State will be the 15th night game in the stadium's his- tory. Iowa put together a 10-4 record in those previous games, including a 3-2 mark against ranked opponents. One of its vic- tories was a 24-3 romp over No. 20 Penn State in 2010. "There's something about night games," veteran Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said. "I don't know if it takes you back to when you were in high school playing and all that, but yeah, I think it's a lot of fun for everybody to be involved in. But it's not going to guarantee anything. "We're playing at home. We would much rather be at home than on the road at night, but we still have to go play, and that's what it gets down to. I think anybody who's human, their juices will be going a little bit on Saturday just because of the environ- ment. There seems to be a little bit of extra electricity. Then it's our job to keep gener- ating it. We can't just count on the crowd, because they unfortunately can't help us enough, not in this case." Ferentz was on the other end of that dy- namic last year. The Hawkeyes' game at Penn State kicked off at night, and it was the Nittany Lions who seemed to be play- ing at a different speed. Eschewing their penchant for slow starts, the Lions led 24- 7 at halftime and never looked back. By the time it was over, they had piled up 599 yards of offense, including 167 rushing yards by Saquon Barkley. "The only thing we might have been all right with last year would be the coin toss, and I'd have to look that up; we probably lost that, too," Ferentz said. "There wasn't much out of that tape we can take, and that's one of the tricks right now. We're looking at it, but there's just not a lot there. All I know is we're playing a team that's really good and we're going to have to play better than we did last year, that's for sure." The atmosphere on Saturday should help bring out Iowa's best, although it bears mentioning that the visitor's sideline at Kinnick Stadium isn't quite as claustro- phobic as it used to be. The athletic de- partment recently removed two rows of seats between the 25-yard lines as part of a stadium renovation project. Even so, fans are going to be uncomfort- ably close, and they will be looking to do their part to help bring about another huge upset. Franklin is working to get his team ready for whatever they dish out. Said the coach, "We want to get our players pre- pared for that." S E P T E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 2 NATE BAUER 3-0 | Iowa's historical success in night games at Kinnick Stadium under Kirk Ferentz (9-3) including an upset of No. 2 Michigan last year might be in the back of Penn State fans' minds this week. It shouldn't be. For this iteration of Penn State football, one that sees an offense score bunches of points quickly, its biggest vulnerability is against teams that can do the same. Iowa does not and cannot play the same game, and a huge time of possession gap is of no concern to Penn State. Granted, you never know what can happen for new teams in a new year in an unfamiliar environment, but the matchups favor Penn State heavily here. | PENN STATE 42, IOWA 20 PHIL GROSZ 3-0 | The fact that Penn State returns nine offensive starters from last year's team tells me that the matchups that allowed the Lions to pile up 599 yards of of- fense against Iowa are still in play. Iowa might have the most fundamentally sound de- fense Penn State will play this season, but the Hawkeyes don't have the athletes they will need to contain the Lions' skill players on offense. Almost all the matchups on offense and defense favor Penn State. | PENN STATE 41, IOWA 17 MATT HERB 3-0 | What gives me pause heading into this game is that Penn State gave up some yards on the ground the past two weeks to opponents that aren't as good at run- ning the ball as Iowa. Those yards didn't hurt the Lions against Pitt and Georgia State; ei- ther the defense found a way to rise up, or the opponent found a way to self-destruct. But Iowa has the ability to score touchdowns when it gets into the red zone, and it will make Penn State pay if the defense can't get off the field. That said, it takes a lot of touchdowns to beat the Lions these days, so as long as they're able to get the ball to their playmakers, they should be OK. It would be nice to see Saeed Blacknall follow up his outstanding TD catch vs. Georgia State with a big night against Iowa. I can't help but feel as though he has a significant role to play in this team's future. | PENN STATE 34, IOWA 24 TIM OWEN 3-0 | This is the week that Penn State's streak of 14-point first quarters ends. It was an impressive run to start the season, but I anticipate a slower start in Iowa City. It's not solely because I think Iowa's defense is more stout than what we've seen seen so far. Rather, Penn State has benefitted from early turnovers and I don't see those coming as eas- ily against the Hawkeyes, at least right away. This has the makings of a game that stays tight for the first half or more before the Nittany Lions' depth of talent and experience separates late. | PENN STATE 31, IOWA 20 RYAN SNYDER 3-0 | Saquon Barkley stole the show last season, and I expect him to have a good performance again on Saturday. However, Penn State's defensive line hasn't been tested yet. The Lions held Akrum Wadley to under 30 yards last year, but I expect him to have a bit more success this time. | PENN STATE 34, IOWA 24 S T A F F P R E D I C T I O N S

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