The Penn State and Iowa football teams have one glaring similarity, and it's not the teams' records or the direction both squads are headed.

Just like earlier in the season when the Nittany Lions had three weeks off between the Miami and Wisconsin games, Iowa will come off a 21-day stint without playing.

The Hawkeyes' last game was against Miami (OH) all the way back on Sept. 8 when they clobbered the RedHawks, 44-19. The Penn State contest tomorrow at Kinnick Stadium will be both teams' third game of the season.

Penn State didn't take advantage of its three weeks to prepare for Wisconsin, losing the game 18-6, but Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said the Hawkeyes used the time wisely to smooth things out and prepare for the Big Ten slate. The Iowa coach added that practice was designed to regroup and get ready for a dangerous Penn State squad.

Although most people wouldn't describe an 0-2 team as dangerous — and the Lions have looked far from it — Ferentz said Penn State has a talented squad who will use this game as a springboard to a successful year.

"The past two weeks have given us a chance to heal up and also move our younger players along," the third-year coach said. "The big thing is to focus hard on preparation, have an intelligent game plan and hopefully do a good job practicing."

The Lions thought their three-week layoff would have been beneficial too, but it actually was a disadvantage when they played Wisconsin last Saturday. The team was sloppy, started the game timid and never got into a groove on either side of the ball.

The circumstances are set up exactly the same way for Iowa this weekend. They have a home game, are kicking off their Big Ten schedule and had three weeks off to prepare for Penn State.

Only one thing is different. The Hawkeyes already have two wins under their belts.

"If I had to choose between Iowa's situation and ours, I would take ours," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "I think three weeks off is tough."

But the Lions coach added that this Iowa team is more experienced than Penn State and might respond differently.

Penn State definitely didn't respond well to the three-week layoff. The quarterback situation has gotten worse, the team put up less offensive numbers, lost another offensive lineman and didn't force the Badgers offense to punt once. When Paterno says the one bright spot was punter David Royer, the Lions know they are in trouble.

The Lions hope Iowa responds the same they did when they started the season over last Saturday, but Ferentz doesn't expect it since the Hawkeyes have shown so much maturity already this season.

Ferentz said the practice schedule has mocked what they were doing during the preseason and that throughout the two weeks prior to the preparation week for Penn State, no live tackling was implemented. A nice layoff, the coach hopes, will have his team fresh for a Lions squad hungry for their first win.

"We really stepped it up for the second and third string players," Ferentz said about practice. "If we're going to expect to win, some of those players are going to have to step forward."