Blue White Illustrated

The best and the rest from the Nittany JUDGMENT P LAYER OF THE GAME Matt McGloin set the tone early, throwing for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter of a 38-14 shellacking of the Hawkeyes. He reached 289 yards on 26 of 38 passing attempts in a completely one-sided win. PLAY OF THE GAME Following Jesse Della Valle's 46-yard kickoff return to open the second half, McGloin con- nected with Brandon Moseby-Felder for a 42-yard completion to set up Bill Belton's 3-yard touchdown run the next play. The three-play series gave the Nittany Lions an insur- mountable 31-0 lead just 27 seconds into the second half. BEST PASS McGloin evaded the rush from defensive end Riley McMinn, juking to his right and rolling out before finding tight end Jesse James open near the goal line for a 31-yard touchdown strike. The play silenced the Kinnick Stadium crowd and gave the Nittany Lions an early 7-0 lead. WORST PASS Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg was aiming for wideout Jordan Cotton down the sideline on his first pass of the second half, but Michael Mauti was in the way and re- turned the interception 20 yards. BEST RUN Belton snuck through a crack in the offensive line late in the COACHSPEAK BACK TO EARTH After the win, Bill O'Brien was quick to shift his focus to next week's op- ponent, Ohio State. "We have a difficult challenge coming up against one of the best teams in the country," O'Brien said. Steve Manuel O C T O B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 2 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M first half, slipping straight past Iowa's defense and into the end zone. Belton was called for an un- sportsmanlike conduct penalty after signaling to quiet the Kinnick Sta- dium crowd. Of course, at 24-0, the stadium was already dead silent. Lions' victory at Kinnick Stadium CALLS PLAYER OF THE GAME McGloin finished the night with 289 passing yards and two touch- downs in a com- pletely one-sided victory. Steve Manuel BEST SACK Jordan Hill and Mauti sacked Vandenberg on third-and-10 for a 9-yard loss late in the first half. Both seniors jumped up from the ground looking like children coming down the stairs on Christmas morn- ing. Pure joy. BEST DECISION Sensing the Hawkeyes' vulnerability, Bill O'Brien opted to go for it on fourth down just inside Iowa territory. A 34-yard pass to Kyle Carter set up an 8-yard touchdown pass to Allen Robinson just three plays later, giving the Nittany Lions a 14-0 lead. KEY STATISTIC PSU had 90 offensive plays to Iowa's 59, winning the time of possession battle 38:08 to 21:52 in the process. KEY MOMENT After downing the ball on the final play of the first half, Iowa skirted into their locker room as the fans at Kinnick Stadium booed them off the field. – NATE BAUER

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