For the ample reasons the Penn State football team has to forget its trip to Iowa on Saturday, Yaacov Yisrael says he's sure he'll remember the 26-14 loss for a long time.

One of the few players with anything to celebrate from the Nittany Lions' fourth-straight loss to the Hawkeyes, Yisrael grabbed two first-quarter interceptions, returning one 83 yards for the game's first touchdown.

"That was the first touchdown I scored in five years, so I'll never forget this," Yisrael said. "I kind of wanted to jump in the stands, but I knew they weren't our fans, so I couldn't do that. It was just one of those things that you just try to enjoy."

There wasn't much else to enjoy for the Lions, whose offense was out-scored by Yisrael until little more than 16 minutes remained in the game. But the senior defensive back did everything but call plays to help break the team's scoring struggle.

When Iowa quarterback Nathan Chandler overthrew a pass to receiver Ramon Ochoa on the Hawkeyes' first offensive series, Yisrael gathered the ball and returned it 15 yards and into Iowa territory. The ensuing possession, which started on the Iowa 45-yard line, netted just three yards.

Iowa couldn't take advantage of the defensive stop itself, however. On third-and-two from their own 14-yard line, the Hawkeyes' protection broke down and Chandler tried to run for the first down. Yisrael was there to corral him for no gain and force a punt.

But his day, for all intentive purposes, was defined by the touchdown return. A nine-play drive covering 65 yards put the Hawkeyes in a first-and-goal situation at the Penn State seven-yard line. After running back Fred Russell had a touchdown run negated by a 10-yard holding penalty, Iowa had the ball and a first down just 13 yards from taking a seven-point lead.

On a play that came as quickly as next month's bills, Chandler tried to throw a screen to a receiver lined up one yard behind the line of scrimmage. Yisrael, reading the play at the snap, jumped in front of the pass and returned the ball 83 yards into the end zone untouched. He finished the game with eight tackles and two interceptions and helped to keep the Lions in a game that deteriorated rapidly after halftime.

"Those were two big plays and we haven't made those kind of plays," Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said. "I thought those would give us the lift we needed."

They didn't. Any flame of hope of a strong offensive effort flickered out when the third drive of the game, which was also the third time Penn State started in Iowa territory, ended with a fumble by tailback Ricky Upton.

With the other side of the ball struggling, the defense tried unsuccessfully to stop Russell, the nation's 13th-leading rusher at an average of 114.5 yards a game.

The tailback gouged Penn State for 148 yards as the Hawkeyes became the sixth of six teams to rush for more than 200 yards in beating the Lions.

Still, Yisrael insisted the future held better things for the team.

If nothing else, the Lions had to be competitive for the last four games.

"We've just got to keep fighting," Yisrael said. "We just can't give up."