EDITORIAL BY GRAYDON FOX

Overview:

On Saturday, October 27^th, the (6-1) Iowa Hawkeyes will be on the road to take on the (5-2) Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Crowd:

The Crowd projects a final score of Penn State 30.2 – Iowa 24.6 with an over/under of 54.8.

Lou Holtz and Mark May:

Lou is predicting a final score of Iowa 24 – Penn State 21.

Mark is predicting a final score of Iowa 27 – Penn State 20.

2018-19 Statistics (130 total teams):

Passing offense: Penn State 239.9 YPG > Iowa 231.9 YPG

Rushing offense: Penn State 240.7 YPG > Iowa 165.4 YPG

Scoring offense: Penn State 42.6 PPG > Iowa 30.6 PPG

Scoring defense: Iowa 14.1 PPG > Penn State 22.0 PPG

Passing defense: Iowa 178.6 YPG > Penn State 226.9 YPG

Rushing defense: Iowa 79.6 YPG > Penn State 165.1 YPG

Turnover Margin Per Game: Iowa +0.5 > Penn State +0.3

Summary:

Iowa is (6-1) to start the season with wins over Northern Illinois, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, and Maryland.  They were defeated by 28-17 by #18 Wisconsin in week four.  The Hawkeyes rank 57^th in points per game (30.6) and 5^th in scoring defense (14.1 PPG).  Quarterback Nate Stanley has completed 61% of his passes for 1,559 yards with 16 touchdowns to 6 interceptions.  Toren Young leads the team in rushing with 403 yards wot go along with his 2 touchdowns.  Running the football has been an issue at times for Iowa as they are only averaging 4.0 yards per carry.  T.J. Hockenson is the most dangerous receiver with 424 yards and 3 touchdowns.  The Hawkeyes’ defense ranks 19^th against the pass (178.6 YPG) and 3^rd against the run (79.6 YPG).  Iowa has the 37^th best turnover margin in the country (+0.5).

Penn State is (5-2) to start the season with victories over Appalachian State, Pittsburgh, Kent State, Illinois, and Indiana.  They were defeated 27-26 by #4 Ohio State in week five and 21-17 by Michigan State in week six.  The Nittany Lions rank 9^th in points per game (42.6) and 36^th in scoring defense (22.0 PPG).  Quarterback Trace McSorely has completed 53% of his passes for 1,461 yards with 11 touchdowns to 3 interceptions.  McSorely is certainly a threat running the football as well where he has tallied 554 yards and 8 touchdowns.  Miles Sanders, arguably the best running back in the Big-Ten, has rushed for 772 yards and 8 touchdowns.  Speedster K.J. Hamler leads the team in receiving with 401 yards and 5 touchdowns.   The Nittany Lions’ defense ranks 69^th against the pass (226.9 YPG) and 74^th against the run (165.1 YPG).

Bottom Line:

Michigan State provided the blueprint to beating Penn State by holding Trace McSorely to just 37 yards rushing.  Iowa has flown under the radar but their defense ranks top 20 against both the pass and the run.  Penn State got off to a hot start averaging 55.5 PPG in their first four games but have since averaged 25.3 PPG.  Iowa has the personnel to keep the Penn State offense at bay and pull of the road upset.

Iowa wins 26-23

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