Hawkeyes outlast Nittany Lions to secure third win in Big Ten play

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Playing against a team without a winning record, a interim coach, a backup quarterback and on a three-game losing streak, didn’t distract the Hawkeyes from taking care of business Saturday night.

Iowa traded punches with Penn State throughout the evening in a defensive slugfest, and won the thriller 25-24 in front of a sold out crowd at Kinnick Stadium. It was the Hawkeyes’ second-straight victory over the Nittany Lions at home, and now they’re one win away from becoming bowl eligible.

Coach Kirk Ferentz thought his team played hard, never gave up, and most importantly, delivered when it mattered the most.  Penn State (3-4) was scrappy, and made Iowa earn everything down in the trenches. Redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer kept the Hawkeyes’ defense on their heels, and Terry Smith put together a great game plan. Which is why Ferentz took some risks, and made adjustments on the fly.

“They came in here ready to go, and played an excellent game as well,” Ferentz said. “Only variable I could see from across this aisle was going to be the quarterback, thought he (Grunkemeyer) did a great job and they were creative how they used their quarterback, so  nothing easy about that thing.”

However, it was Iowa’s veteran signal-caller Mark Gronowski who eventually stole the show with a clutch performance. Although mistakes were made by both teams, and the officiating didn’t spot the ball correctly at times, the contest was amazing for the fans.

The Nittany Lions drew first blood after Grunkemeyer led them on a 10-play, 35-yard drive, that took over five minutes off the clock and ended with a touchdown run by running back Kaytron Allen. The Hawkeyes responded on their next drive with a 39-yard field goal by kicker Drew Stevens.

There were no early fireworks in the game until right before the first half ended. Stevens attempted a risky 66-yard field goal on Iowa’s final possession. Unfortunately, the Hawkeyes’ line couldn’t hold up, a defender blocked the kick and cornerback Elliot Washington recovered the ball and returned it 35 yards to the house to give the Nittany Lions a 14-10 lead at halftime. The fans were speechless.

All of the momentum shifted to Penn State’s side, and Ferentz knew he had to accept accountability and make adjustments at halftime.

“It was a bad decision, we should have just closed out the half and come back and played from there,” he said. “The biggest part was just the momentum swing, because things were going okay, we were doing some good things, feeling a little bit better, then boom, now you drop an anvil right on the team.”

The situation got even murkier for the Hawkeyes after the Nittany Lions took a 21-10 lead midway through the third quarter. Iowa’s defense had no answer for Allen, and it was his second rushing score of the night. Still, Ferentz focused on the ground attack, and put Gronowski to work. Iowa (5-2) pulled within five points after a an eight-play, 74-yard touchdown drive that took nearly five minutes off the clock.

Gronowski punched it in the end zone from four yards out, and Iowa entered the fourth quarter with confidence. Stevens nailed his second field goal early in the fourth quarter, and the Hawkeyes found themselves down by only two points. The final five minutes is when all of the action occurred though.

Penn State put together a 16-play drive, that milked over eight minutes off the clock and extended its’ lead over Iowa 24-19 after a 32-yard field goal by Ryan Barker. All eyes were on Gronowski for the Hawkeyes’ next possession, and he didn’t disappoint. Within a blink of an eye, and two plays into Iowa’s final drive, Gronowski tucked the ball away, broke a couple of tackles and carried the ball 67 yards down to Penn State’s goal line. It was by far the most explosive play of the contest. Wideout Kaden Wetjen punched it in for a touchdown a play later to give the Hawkeyes the lead for good.

Regardless, Penn State’s offense had one final possession, but Iowa’s defense rose to the occasion. Grunkemeyer attempted a pass on fourth down, but defensive back Deshaun Lee deflected it, to seal the game. It was the biggest play from the defense, and Ferentz was glad to see Gronowski and rest of the offense take that victory formation on the next possession.

“We didn’t know exactly how that series or possession was going to pan out,” the 70-year old said. “We were trying to find a way to get it down there, and had to get it in the end zone to be successful, but didn’t think it was going to happen in two plays.”

At the end of the day, Iowa led Penn State in total offense, and yards per play. Penn State led Iowa in first downs, plays, and time of possession. The difference was Grunkemeyer’s two costly interceptions. If it wasn’t for Iowa’s special teams blunder before halftime, Penn State would’ve scored 17 points, and that’s something Ferentz can live with.

Gronowski completed 10 of his 16 passes for 68 yards and an interception. He also rushed for a team-high, 130 yards, two touchdowns and didn’t take a sack. Running back Kamari Moulton added 99 yards on the ground on 17 carries. Four different players caught at least two balls from Gronowski. Wetjen led the the team in receiving yards.

Defensively, the Hawkeyes put together a stellar performance. Defensive back Koen Entringer finished with a game-high, 11 tackles, including one for loss. Safety Xavier Nwankpa made plays all over the field, with 10 stops, a forced fumble and he hauled in an interception. Lee also picked off a pass. Edge rusher Not to mention Ethan Hurkett recorded Iowa’s only sack of the game.

Stevens attempted four field goals, in which he missed one, another was blocked and two he made were both inside the 40-yard line. Ferentz admired the way his players handled adversity, and never stopped grinding until the whistle blew. Now Iowa can carry the momentum into a highly-anticipated matchup in week nine against rival Minnesota, and Ferentz believes the best is yet to come for his team.

“Something I told our players in the locker room, this is a feeling you can’t buy, you have to earn it, go out, fight and compete, and they certainly did that.”