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the Lions a victory in a game they had dominated statistically. They outgained Iowa 579 yards to 273 and held the ball for just under 40 minutes. But because they had repeatedly settled for field goals – and misfired on a couple of those at- tempts – they needed an act of steely composure in the final minutes to remain unbeaten. Which is just what they got. It was the first time since the Ohio State game last October that they were held below 30 points, as the Hawkeyes did a very effective job of keeping the action in front of them. Barkley gashed them both on the ground and as a receiver, but he wasn't able to score the breakaway touchdowns that have become his stock in trade. And when the Lions got close, they couldn't punch it in. "I don't think we played that great tonight in the red zone," coach James Franklin said. "You have to be able to run the ball in between the tackles. That will set everything else up from there, so we have to get better in that area. I think there's consistency that we have to have on our offensive line so we don't have moving parts there. That will help us. I think you've got to be able to run the ball in the red zone. … I think we've done a really good job in the red zone [in recent games]. We just didn't do a great job tonight." Here's a look at the good and the bad: THE GOOD • Barkley had an astonishing night. He totaled 211 rushing yards, 94 receiving yards and 53 kick-return yards. He only got into the end zone once, on an 8-yard run in the third quarter, but his highlight reel got a lot longer. In the fourth quarter, with Penn State clinging to a 15-13 lead, Barkley straddled a Hawkeyes tackler for a 10-yard gain on a short pass on third- and-6. • McSorley showed remarkable com- posure on the Lions' final drive, throwing for 68 yards and rushing for 12 a?er Penn State took possession with just 1:42 to play. Iowa is known as one of the most hostile road venues in the Big Ten, so to do what he did in front of a crowd that was surely ready to storm the field was all the more impressive. On the game's final play, McSorley fired a dart to Johnson in the middle of a con- gested end zone and came up with a walk-off touchdown – fitting for a player known for his baseball-themed celebra- tions. "In that situation, you have to take a shot to the end zone," Franklin said. "That's what [Iowa was] doing all night – playing so? and making you throw the underneath stuff and… making the tackle. Fourth-and-7, last play of the game, the ball has to be thrown into the end zone or close to it." • The Lions' defensive line was down a man, with Torrence Brown out of action following his injury last week vs. Georgia State, but it did a good job against Wadley, particularly in the first half. The senior running back had been averaging 170 all-purpose yards per game, third- best in the Big Ten. He finished with 155 yards against Penn State, and while that might not seem too far off of his pace, he got 35 of those yards on one carry. Prior to that rush, his last of the game, he had gained 45 yards on 18 rushing attempts (2.5 yards per carry). THE BAD • Iowa was able to get a lot of pressure on McSorley, totaling four sacks and forcing a couple of fumbles. Even when the Hawkeyes couldn't get to him, they were frequently able to get a hand on his passes and deflect them off target or bat them down. Josey Jewell's second-quar- ter interception came on a tipped pass. • When it was time to line up and push Iowa back on the goal line, Penn State wasn't able to do it. The Lions had to set- tle for field goals on two drives that reached inside the Hawkeyes' 5-yard line. • The Nittany Lions weren't able to capitalize on great field position early in the game. They went three-and-out on two early drives that started in Iowa ter- ritory, and they settled for a field goal on a first-half possession that started at Iowa's 33. • There were more problems on the field goal team, as Tyler Davis pushed a 41-yarder wide le? in the second quarter, then had a 31-yard attempt blocked late in the fourth quarter. "Tyler has obviously been very, very good for a number of years," Franklin said. "We have got to be firmer [up front]. The defender came right through the middle of our protection [on the block]. I don't think it was the kick. The guy pretty much came clean through. We ob- viously have to get that cleaned up." SCORING SUMMARY 1ST 1:01 PSU Davis, Tyler 19-yard field goal 11 plays, 66 yards, TOP 5:06.......................................................3-0 2ND 7:40 PSU Miller, Shareef safety................................................................... 5-0 0:37 Iowa Easley, Nick 21-yard pass from Stanley, Nate (Recinos, Miguel kick) 1 play, 21 yards, TOP 0:06.............................................................5-7 3RD 10:42 PSU Davis, Tyler 21-yard field goal 7 plays, 55 yards, TOP 2:25......................................................... 8-7 5:16 PSU Barkley, Saquon 8-yard run (Davis, Tyler kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:07........................................................ 15-7 4TH 10:02 Iowa Wadley, Akrum 70-yard pass from Stanley, Nate (Stanley, Nate pass failed) 3 plays, 74 yards, TOP 1:30....................................................... 15-13 1:42 Iowa Wadley, Akrum 35-yard run (Stanley, Nate pass failed) 3 plays, 80 yards, TOP 1:00.................................................... 15-19 0:00 PSU Johnson, Juwan 7-yard pass from McSorley, Trace (TEAM rush failed) 12 plays, 80 yards, TOP 1:42.................................................... 21-19 S E P T E M B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 2

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