Blue White Illustrated

GAME GRADES QUARTERBACKS In the most hostile envi- ronment Penn State has faced so far this season, Matt McGloin made it look easy. His touchdown-interception ratio is now a gaudy 14-2. GRADE A RUNNING BACKSBill Belton was healthy, and it showed. But two fumbles by Zach Zwinak might have proven costly in a closer game. GRADE A- SANDWICHED Vandenberg was sacked four times and was under pressure most of the night. The Nittany Lions romp past a disappointed and battered Iowa SPOILER EFFECT MATT HERB | M A T T@B L U E WH I T E O N L I N E . C O M IOWA CITY, Iowa – Like most people, Kirk Ferentz was expecting a close game as Iowa prepared to host Penn State. The records and stats said as much. The Hawkeyes were 4-2, and so were the Nittany Lions. The Hawkeyes had struggled in the non- conference season before rebounding smartly once the league slate began. Ditto the Nittany Lions. But the exciting, competitive game that had been anticipated by so many – including programming executives at the Big Ten Network, who opted to put the game on prime time – never materialized. The Nittany Lions pulled away early and were never seriously threatened, outgaining the Hawkeyes by just under 300 yards. "They've got a good football team, ob- viously," Ferentz said. "And that's as well – at least from my vantage point – as they've played this year. They played really well in their last game against Northwestern. They did a great job with their bye week apparently, and they had it going tonight. Their quarterback really played a tremendous game." But Penn State's success in the pass- ing game was only one of the difficul- ties Iowa faced. The other problem was that except for a handful of downfield pass completions, it couldn't get its own offense moving. James Vanden- berg went 17 of 36 for 189 yards, with four sacks and two interceptions. And the running game was an even bigger impediment, thanks in large part to injuries. The Hawkeyes were forced to start true freshman Greg Gar- mon at tailback with leading rusher Mark Weisman bothered by an ankle injury. Making matters worse, they lost two starting offensive linemen – Bran- don Scherff and Andrew Donnal – within a couple of plays of each other in the first half. Ferentz said after the game that Scherff, a 6-foot-5, 310- pound sophomore, will probably miss the rest of the season. Iowa's only real highlight was Jordan Cotton's 92-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter. The touchdown gave the Hawkeyes their first score of the game and awakened a dispirited crowd from its second-half torpor. It wasn't enough to get Iowa back in the game, but the Hawks were eager to latch onto something positive after the lopsided loss, and Cotton's return would have to do. Said Ferentz, "Other than that, there wasn't a lot to cheer about." O C T O B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 2 6 Steve Manuel RECEIVERS Tight end Kyle Carter's amaz- ing 34-yard catch on fourth-and-3 in the first quarter was enough to give these guys a stellar grade. The Lions did drop a few, but overall, another strong outing. GRADE A- OFFENSIVE LINE The line didn't give up a sack in 38 pass attempts and helped the Lions rush for 215 yards. Not a bad night's work. GRADE A DEFENSIVE LINE Iowa finished the game with 20 rushing yards. Granted, the Hawks were shorthanded in the back- field, and their problems got a lot worse when two starting offensive line- men got hurt on the same first-quarter drive. But still… GRADE A LINEBACKERSMichael Mauti had a second- half interception to go with eight tack- les and a sack. GRADE A DEFENSIVE BACKS Iowa went into the game with the Big Ten's least-efficient pass- ing game, and playing the Lions cer- tainly didn't help their statistical portfolio. GRADE A SPECIAL TEAMSMixed bag, as usual. Sam Ficken hit his first field goal attempt, from 34 yards, before having a fourth-quarter attempt partially blocked. The Lions also gave up a 92- yard kickoff return touchdown in the fourth quarter. GRADEC- COACHES Bill O'Brien started the second half with a deep post, signaling that the Lions were going to stay aggres- sive. You can make a case that Penn State should have gotten backup Steven Bench in the game, but other- wise, it's pretty hard to find fault. GRADE A CROWD Kinnick Stadium was as loud as anticipated, i.e., a lot louder than Vir- ginia and Illinois. But by the start of the fourth quarter, many Iowans had seen enough and were headed to the exit. Hard to blame them. GRADEB B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

• Cover