UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – Iowa (6‐2, 3‐2) lost to Penn State (6‐2, 3‐2) on Saturday, 30‐24, at Beaver Stadium.
Iowa scored two safeties in the first half and the game was tied 17-17 at intermission.
SS Geno Stone had a 24‐yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was his third interception of the season and marked the 11th straight year Iowa has returned an interception for a touchdown.
Dominique Dafney blocked a Penn State punt on the Nittany Lions’ opening possession. It is Iowa’s first blocked punt since October 31, 2015 (Aaron Mends). The punt rolled out of the end zone for a safety (Iowa’s second of the season – Amani Hooker TFL vs. Northern Illinois).
RB Mekhi Sargent set career bests in carries (16) and rushing yards (91). He is the third different Hawkeye to set a career high in rushing yards in the last three weeks (Young, 96 yards at Indiana; Kelly‐Martin, 98 yards vs. Maryland).
QB Nate Stanley had 198 yards total offense, raising his career total to 4,158 and moving past Ed Podolak (4,026) and Sedrick Shaw (4,156) for 11th all‐time in school history.
K Miguel Recinos’ 49‐yard field goal in the second quarter was a career‐long. Recinos had two field goals (27, 49) and two extra‐points today. He has made his last nine field goal attempts dating back to Week 3. His 49‐yard field goal moved him into 20th on Iowa’s all‐time scoring list, passing Mike Saunders (144). Recinos has 146 career points.
DE Matt Nelson and LB/SS Amani Hooker led Iowa with six tackles apiece. The six tackles matches Nelson’s career high.
Iowa scored 24 points without the benefit of an offensive touchdown. The Hawkeyes recorded two safeties, kicked two field goals, returned one interception for a touchdown, and scored one touchdown via special teams (fake field goal).
Iowa ran a season‐high 88 plays and outgained Penn State 350‐312 in total yards.
Penn State sacked Iowa three times. The Hawkeyes entered the game having surrendered just six quarterback sacks, the fewest in the Big Ten.
Iowa’s first touchdown was a 10‐yard pass from P Colton Rastetter to DE Sam Brinks. It was Brinks’ first career reception. It was Rastetter’s third career completion and first career touchdown pass. He is 3‐for‐3 passing in his career for 43 yards.
Iowa lost for the first time in 13 games when scoring at least 20 points.
Iowa had two safeties in the game. It is the first time under Ferentz that Iowa has had two safeties in a single game, and the first time Iowa has had two safeties in a single season. It is the first time an FBS team recorded multiple safeties against an FBS opponent since Memphis did it against Tulane in October 2015. The last Big Ten team to do it was Wisconsin in Nov. 2008 vs Minnesota.
Penn State’s touchdown with 0:27 left in the first quarter resulted in the first points allowed by Iowa’s defense since the third quarter at Indiana (95 minutes, 28 seconds).
Penn State won the toss and elected to receive. The Hawkeyes have played 248 games under head coach Kirk Ferentz. Iowa has opened the game on offense 186 times (114‐72). The Hawkeyes have opened the game on defense 62 times (35‐27).
Instant replay:
1) Penn State rushing touchdown (confirmed)
2) T.J. Hockenson reception (overruled)
The Hawkeyes play at Purdue on Nov. 3. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. (CT). The game is televised on ESPN.
The Hawkeyes next four games are against Big Ten West opponents. Iowa trails Purdue and Northwestern by one game in the loss column, and plays both schools in the next two weeks.
