Hawkeye defense shames Lions

The Nittany Lion offense is simply ineffective. No denying it now. Losing to Ohio State - maybe that's acceptable. Thirty-one points against Purdue - the offense could get away with that. But getting dominated by Iowa - now that is living proof.

Iowa's weak defense resembled the Steel Curtain against Penn State (6-2, 2-2 Big Ten) Saturday as the Hawkeyes (5-1, 3-0) rebounded after a lackluster first half to beat the Lions in front of a scarce alumni and so-called student section, most of which was gone by the second half.

"That's about the third time it's happened to us," Nittany Lion coach Joe Paterno said. "We obviously have to take a good look at it and try to figure why it's happening."

The win keeps Iowa undefeated in Big Ten play and gives the Hawkeyes its third straight victory since losing to Tulsa. An elated Iowa coach Hayden Fry has renamed the Lions' lair.

"We showed a lot of heart and a lot of character today," Hawkeye coach Hayden Fry said. "This is happy Hawkeye Valley, for at least one weekend."

That must explain the larger Hawkeye cheering section.

The Lions dominated early with a running game and brick-wall defense. Tailback Curtis Enis, who gained 81 yards on 23 rushes, caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Wally Richardson on the Lions' first possession.

Aaron Harris' 48-yard run, aided by receiver Joe Jurevicius' mammoth block on an Iowa defensive back, set up the Enis touchdown and gave the Lions a 7-0 lead.

It may have been Penn State's crispest drive of the season - certainly of the past three games. But it was the last well-executed Lion drive of the game. The momentum swung on Penn State's next possession, when Iowa punt returner Tim Dwight returned Lion punter Darrell Kania's 49-yard boot for a touchdown to tie the game.

It wasn't until the second quarter that Iowa had an effective drive. Hawkeye backup tailback Tavian Banks, replacing usual starter Sedrick Shaw, showed why the term backup can be misleading. Banks ran for 116 yards on 26 carries in the game, including a 5-yard touchdown run that gave Iowa a 14-10 lead in the second quarter.

"He's a fast kid. He ran the ball hard," Lion linebacker Jim Nelson said. "We've seen him all week on film. He may be even better than Sedrick Shaw. He has great speed."

Penn State regained the lead on an uncanny Harris touchdown run when he fumbled and recovered en route to a score. Kicker Brett Conway added a 37-yard field goal to boost the lead to 20-14. Most of Beaver Stadium's student section filtered out at halftime.

Those who remained got an unsightly view of Penn State's offense.

Showing virtually no improvement in the past few weeks, Richardson completed just two passes in the third quarter. He finished 10 of 30 for 106 yards and a touchdown. Enis, meanwhile, carried the ball seven times for seven yards in the second half. But Iowa's offense was just as stagnant, gaining only one first down in the third quarter.

Penn State's only bright spot came from its defense, when defensive end Brandon Short blocked Iowa kicker Brion Hurley's 48-yard field goal attempt. The Lions kept a six-point lead going into the fourth quarter - but that's what the Hawkeyes wanted.

"We just wanted to stay close in the fourth quarter," linebacker Vernon Rollins said, "and we knew we could win it."

Three of Iowa's five sacks came in the fourth quarter, the biggest on Penn State's first possession. Getting the usual split second in the pocket, Richardson was sacked by defensive back Kerry Cooks and fumbled. Hawkeye Jared DeVries recovered the ball, giving Iowa possession on Penn State's 33-yard line. Two plays later, Banks cashed in for an 8-yard touchdown and a 21-20 Hawkeye lead.

Despite stopping a telegraphed fake field goal attempt, Penn State failed to piece together drive successful enough to get into field goal range on its next two possessions, as Iowa snapped its four-game losing streak against the Lions.

"We knew it would be an awfully physical game," Iowa quarterback Matt Sherman said. "But I felt if we could match their physical toughness, we'd have a chance - and that's what we did."