Iowa linebacker Mike Humpal sees the potential that some Penn State offensive players still believe in.
From his perspective, the Nittany Lions have a pretty good offense, and have all the tools to be successful. But one negative, occurring several times, has prevented the unit from showing off.
"They've turned the ball over," Humpal said. "No matter who you are, you just make it so much more difficult. We've dealt with that issue before. It's such a huge momentum swing sometimes."
It just so happens that Iowa, the nation's ninth-best defense statistically, has been the Big Ten's best in not letting turnovers affect the outcome of its games, even though the Hawkeyes have lost their last three and share a similar 0-2 conference record with Penn State.
Iowa leads the conference in turnover margin, forcing twice as many turnovers (10, four fumbles, six interceptions) as it has given up (two fumbles, three picks).
Penn State, meanwhile, has handed over 13 free possessions this year.
"Besides those, they've been doing a pretty darn good job," Humpal said of the Lions' offense. "Sometimes those hurt in key situations. Turnovers are never good."
Fumbles from running backs Austin Scott and Rodney Kinlaw, Humpal surmised, sometimes just happen freakishly, like when a helmet hits the ball, but late-game errors could be more mental.
"If you're constantly thinking about it in key situations late in the game, then it's more likely someone's thinking about it," he said.
But while Humpal, a starting outside linebacker and one of twoIowa defensive captains this week, understands that Anthony Morelli, Scott and Kinlaw "may be getting some heat," for their mistakes, he and his teammates won't let themselves believe the Lions offense isn't dangerous.
"They've got as many athletes as anybody in the Big Ten," fellow Iowa linebacker A.J. Edds said. "They have guys that can spread it out and guys they can throw it to. On the ground, they have been putting it out there a little bit, but teams aren't going to abandon [that] just because of a couple of previous weeks."
A specific source of concern for Iowa defense, a few players said, was Penn State's talented corps or wideouts. They noted how the Lions' successfully opened the playbook in the first half against Illinois last week.
"It really doesn't matter what offense they're running, you've got to be ready to play," Iowa free safety Harold Dalton said. "We haven't played them in a while, but when you see these guys on TV, they're very athletic guys, real fast guys."
Humpal, a 6-foot-3, 242-pound outside linebacker, sometimes drops into pass coverage. He called the possibility of him covering a wideout a mismatch that favors Penn State.
"The receivers are as talented as any in the big ten and across the country," Humpal said. "As a defense, we see a good offense. We understand that they've been taking some heat for turning the ball over and those sort of things, but they're making big plays."
