Penn State Football: Keys to the Game vs Iowa

October 8, 2011; State College, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions fans cheer during first quarter action against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-US PRESSWIRE

Penn State returns home to square off in another primetime clash with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Can the upstart Lions continue their solid play, or is Penn State ripe for an upset?

Penn State returns home this weekend fresh off a thundering 62-24 triumph over the Purdue Boilermakers. Just like two weeks ago, the Nittany Lions will face formidable opponent – the Iowa Hawkeyes. And, just like two weeks ago, the forecast, is calling for WhiteOut conditions at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State head coach James Franklin wasted little time after the Purdue victory last weekend in imploring the fans to whiteout the Hawkeyes.

#WhiteOutX2

— James Franklin (@coachjfranklin) October 29, 2016

An error occurred while retrieving the Tweet. It might have been deleted.

No doubt Penn State is well aware of the importance of this showdown with Iowa. The Hawkeyes have given the Nittany Lions fits over the years, especially at Beaver Stadium. Iowa has won in Happy Valley in 2002, 2004, and 2009. No question that Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz knows how to get his team ready to play under difficult conditions. In addition to Ferentz being a superb motivator, his team also enters the contest coming off a bye week. Iowa has certainly fallen below expectations this season coming off an 11-2 Rose Bowl season last year. This week the Hawkeyes look for a small measure of redemption if they can knock off No. 12 Penn State.

Many in Nittany Nation were pleasantly surprised this week to learn that Penn State was ranked No. 12 in the first College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings. The high ranking, according to CFP chairman Kirby Hocutt, rewards Penn State’s solid schedule as well as their dramatic win over Ohio State. With excitement in Happy Valley at a frenzied pitch, Iowa looks to pull off the upset? Can the Hawkeyes pump the brakes on the the Nittany Lions to the Rose Bowl talk, or can Penn State continue their strong play?

Find out in the keys to the game.

Game Keys

#1 – Penn State WR Chris Godwin vs Iowa CB Desmond King

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Chris Godwin (12) reacts following his touchdown catch against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Godwin is arguably Penn State’s top wide out. Cornerback Desmond King is Iowa’s unquestioned top defensive back. This is an intriguing matchup to keep your eye on. If Godwin can gain separation, he can catch nearly any pass McSorley can throw his way. If King is able to blanket him then the passing game rotation will be of utmost importance.

Watch Godwin last week against Purdue. He is at the top of your screen. Keep your eye on the Boilermaker defensive back not jamming him at the line of scrimmage or even disrupting his path. In the zone coverage, McSorley is able to hit him in stride as he crosses in an underneath route that goes for a 38 yard touchdown.

King, on the other hand, is one of the more physical defensive backs in the league. It is a challenge that Godwin embraced in the media this week, According to Godwin,

“Obviously he’s (King) a great cornerback. He’s a physical guy. He has a lot of good speed and they play in a good scheme. They’ve been doing a really good job defensively putting him in positions to be successful and he takes advantage of them,” Godwin said. “There’s not really things on film that you can really go at against him, but the things that there are, you’ve got to attack those.”

Besides the top flight Godwin versus King match up, keep your eye on how these two affect the other Penn State wideouts. If King is constantly tied up with Godwin, that should open the door for either Saeed Blacknall or DeAndre Thompkins (questionable) for deep passes. Or, my gut says, look out for slot receiver DaeSean Hamilton to get more looks than he has in the past few games. Mie Gesicki has overshadowed him of late.

Penn State has the wide receiver depth to give the Hawkeyes fits out on the edge. Penn State has a prime opportunity to exploit this match up, and I fully expect offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead to take advantage of Iowa’s porous pass defense despite Desmond King Jim Thorpe Award resume.

#2 – Penn State OL versus Iowa DL

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

No team in the Big Ten can boast of having three players in the top-11 in individual sacks except for Iowa. The Hawkeyes defensive front has accounted for 16 sacks this season. That is more than Michigan or Penn State’s defensive fronts.

The Nittany Lions offensive line has been markedly improved from the start of the year. Penn State has not seen a drop off in ability moving Mahon from LT to RT and inserting Paris Palmer at LT. Iowa has also seen improvement in their defensive line play since the early stages of the season. Jeleel Johnson and his 5.5 sacks anchors the defensive line.

Keep your eye on which team is able to control the line of scrimmage when the Lions have the ball.

Last week, especially in the second half, the Lions were able to control the line of scrimmage; a fact that Saquon Barkley was able exploit for 207 rushing yards. Iowa, however ranks in the top half of the Big Ten in rush defense holding opposing teams to just under 154 yards per game.

If offensive line coach Matt Limegrover’s men can hold their own or even dominate the line of scrimmage over Iowa, it should be a long night for the Hawkeyes.

#3 – Red Zone Opportunities

Oct 29, 2016; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions place kicker Tyler Davis (95) prepares to hit a PAT as Chris Gulla (37) holds in the first half at Ross Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State’s ability to bludgeon most of their opponents with offense has hidden a somewhat troubling statistic. The Lions rank fifth in the conference in red zone scoring opportunities. They have converted 32 of 37 (86.5%) red zone chances, however, they lead the Big Ten in red zone field goals. To be successful teams need to convert their scoring chances into touchdowns not field goals.

Iowa, on other hand, has converted 26 of 28 (92.9%) red zone chances into points. Unlike Penn State, the Hawkeyes have only kicked six field goals. Their ability to score six points not settle for three points could be an important factor in the game’s outcome.

The red zone scoring defense may perhaps an even more alarming statistic for Penn State. The Nittany Lions rank near the bottom of the Big Ten in red zone defense allowing a 90 percent scoring rate. Iowa, meanwhile, is near the top of the Big Ten in red zone defense. They allow just under 70 percent scoring rate.

On Saturday night keep your eye on which team is able to make the most of their red zone trips. For the Nittany Lions to win, they need to turn their red zone opportunities into touchdowns. They must also limit Iowa’s red zone chances.