FINAL STATS
PSU Iowa
Yards Rushing 180 101
Attempts 46 32
Yards/att. 3.9 3.2
Passing Yds. 109 171
Comp-att-int. 10-24-1 15-25-1
Total off. 289 272
Plays 70 57
Penalties-yds. 3-35 5-47
Yds/punt 33 44.3
Time of poss. 35:52 24:08
3rd dwn. conv. 6 of 14 7 of 10
Sacks-yds. 3-16 1-19
Red zone trips 5 3
Red zone TDs 2 3

***

Iowa kicker Daniel Murray nailed a 31-yard field goal with one second left to play to give the Hawkeyes a 24-23 upset over Penn State.

As Murray's kick sailed through the uprights, students and fans started storming the field. The loss drops the Nittany Lions to 9-1, and all but ruins their chances of playing in the national title game.

Not a word was said as players walked off the field. Most still had their helmets one, save for Jordan Norwood, Josh Hull and A.Q. Shipley.

The field goal was set up by a controversial pass interference call on Anthony Scirrotto with Iowa facing third and 10 around midfield. Scirrotto came from behind the receiver and swatted the ball away. The official threw the flag, but it appeared on the replay that he made little to no contact with the receiver.

Later that drive, Murray nailed the kick and Kinnick Stadium went crazy.

***

And we're gonna head down to the field, be back after the game.

***

On third and one in Penn State territory, Evan Royster is stuffed for a loss of seven. There was some confusion before the play and Clark had to hurry to snap it.

***

Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a tight ball game. Iowa took that Boone punt and went 44 yards over six plays, capped off by a six-yard Greene touchdown run. It appeared as Greene injured his wrist on the play, but it doesn't look serious.

The Hawkeyes have slowly crept back and now Penn State's offense needs to kill some clock and get some points.

PSU 23, Iowa 21, 9:20 fourth quarter

Drive Summary: 6 plays, 44 yards, 3:00

***

The Iowa defense forces another three and out and Boone is forced to punt from his own goal line. Punting into the wind, Boone's kick only goes 32 yards, Iowa takes over at the Penn State 44.

***

Second and three at the Iowa nine, and the WildLion strikes again, Williams takes the snap, follows Royster as a lead blocker and slashes into the end zone.

PSU 23, Iowa 14, 0:29 third quarter

Drive Summary: 4 plays, 28 yards, 1:58

***

And just like that, the turnover bug strikes again. Stanzi couldn't handle the snap, it went on the turf and Josh Hull fell on it.

Penn State ball, first and 10 at the Iowa 28.

***

Iowa's defense gets what it needs as the Hawkeyes for a three-and-out. Clark narrowly missed throwing an interception on third down when Iowa blitzed and he threw it away, the ball bounced off Iowa's Mitch King's hands.

Jeremy Boone connects on a 43-yard punt and Iowa takes over at its own 16.

***

Penn State defensive end Josh Gaines was on the sidelines during much of the last drive, pacing and limping. He's got a coat on now. His status for the rest of the game is unclear, but doesn't look good.

***

Stanzi has found his groove. He completed four of five passes on the drive, including a 27-yard touchdown pass to Derrell Johnson-Koullanos. Penn State safeties Mark Rubin and Anthony Scirrotto got crossed up on the play and Johnson-Koullanos was wide open.

The crowd is alive again and we've got ourselves a news ballgame.

PSU 16, Iowa 14, 4:39 third quarter.

Drive Summary: 10 plays, 73 yards, 5:43

***

Iowa's defense loves to have its back against its own goal line because one again it holds the Lions to a field goal.

Penn State 16, Iowa 7, 10:26 third quarter

Drive Summary: 5 plays, 21 yards, 2:01

***

Another pass to Butler and he just tied Engram for the career receptions record.

***

Once again, Iowa doesn't run the ball on 1st and 10 and Tyrell Sales makes Stanzi pay. Or, rather, Stanzi gives Sales a gift. He threw it to nothing but white jerseys and Sales picked it off. The first of Sales' career.

***

Both teams just came back out for the second half, Daryll Clark is pacing along the sidelines and every member of the defense just walked by him and gave him a pat.

Penn State's coverage unit stops the Hawkeyes for the first time today. Iowa starts first and 10 at its own 18.

***

There is no way this game should be even relatively close right now. Penn State has just dominated the Hawkeyes on offense, racking up three drives of more than five minutes, but could only muster 13 points. If the Lions could have gotten touchdowns instead of field goals this game would be over.

Iowa, meanwhile, needs to just keep feeding Greene the ball and not get too cute. When he's toted the rock, he's had success, something noone else on the Hawkeye offense can say. Iowa needs to move the ball and get some points, even a field goal would be enough, on the opening drive of the second half or Penn State could take the ball, put another extended drive together, continue to wear down the Hawkeye defense and put the game almost out of reach with a touchdown.

Expect the Hawkeye defense, especially the line, to get gassed during the second half and the Lion line to gain control.

***

Halftime Stats:
PSU Iowa
First Downs 18 5
Total Yards 203 70
Passing Yards 65 22
Att-Comp-Int 15-7-0 4-2-0
Rushing Yards 138 48
Rushes 32 11
Total Plays 48 17
Time of Poss. 23:34 6:26

***

And Josh Gaines sacks Stanzi to end the half.

PSU 13 Iowa 7, Halftime

***

Wow, Iowa has a passing game, amazing. Stanzi finally completes a pass with 16 seconds to play in the first half.

***

The play and time of possession differential is getting more obscene.

PSU -- 48 plays, 23:34
Iowa -- 11 plays, 5:31

***

A costly Rich Ohrnberger holding call keeps the Lions to a field goal. Kelly boots a 31-yard field goal to put the Lions ahead by six.

PSU 13 Iowa 7, 0:55 second quarter

Drive Summary: 16 plays, 78 yards, 8:18

***

Another pass to Butler.

Butler Record Countdown: 2

***

Clark scrambles for another first down, Penn State is just doing its thang methodically driving down the field.

Sidenote, Iowa's defensive line appears to be lining up offsides routinely, but it's only been called once. They're trying to pound Penn State's line at the snap.

***

Greene rumbles for another first down, but once again, on third and short, Iowa opts to drop Stanzi back rather than pound Greene, who has averaged 6.3 yards per carry.

Jared Odrick stripped Stanzi, who fell on the ball six yards behind the line of scrimmage. So Odrick's credited with a sack and fumble on the play.

A beautiful punt from Iowa's Ryan Donahue checked up like a Tiger Woods sand wedge at the Penn State eight.

***

So if you're keeping track at home, Penn State has run 33 plays and used up 15:16, while the Hawkeyes have run five plays spanning 2:12.

***

Three plays later, Royster pounds it in from the one-yard line for the touchdown.

PSU 10, Iowa 7, 12:32 second quarter

Drive Summary: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:02

***

Facing third and eight at the Iowa 24, Clark hits Deon Butler for a gain of 10 yards and a first down. With the catch, Butler moves within two catches of Bobby Engram and the school's all-time receptions record.

Buter Countdown to Record: 3

***

There's a WildLion on the field. Penn State shows its version of the Wildcat formation popularized by former offensive coordinator Gus Malzhan, but originally invented by none other than the father of college football, Pop Warner.

In the formation, the quarterback, in this instance, Clark, starts in the shotgun then splits out and become a wide receiver. Then a running back or, in Penn State's formation wide receiver Derrick Williams, motions into the backfield, takes the direct snap and runs wide.

Williams has rushed for 17 yards on a pair of direct snaps this drive.

With that, the quarter comes to a close. Quick stat, total plays in the first quarter: PSU -- 26, Iowa -- 5

Iowa 7, PSU 3 End of First Quarter

***

More questionable play calling, this time from Iowa. Third and two and coach Kirk Ferentz elects to roll quarterback Ricky Stanzi out to his left and he has to throw it away. Why not pound the ball with Greene who has 32 yards on four carries? Then again, I'm not a football coach . . .

***

Kevin Kelly's kickoff gets hung up in the wind and only travels 45 yards. Iowa starts its drive at its own 39, more good field position.

***

Points are always good, but you gotta get a touchdown there. Penn State had six plays from the eight yard line and in and couldn't punch it in. Red zone offense has been one if its strengths all season, but not on that drive.

The Lions better wake up.

***

Three plays net the Lions -5 yards and now Kelly is on to attempt a 24-yard field goal. It's good, the 73rd of his career. With the kick Kelly broke the Big Ten record for career field goals, passing Ohio State's Mike Nugent.

Iowa 7, PSU 3, 4:11 first quarter

Drive Summary: 19 plays, 71 yards, 9:43

***

Facing third and goal at the Iowa 7, Clark threw for Graham Zug the throw fell to the ground, but Zug was grabbed on the play, which drive a flag for pass interference.

First and goal Penn State at the Iowa 2.

***

On third and four at the Iowa 20, Stephfon Green runs for 12 yards for the first down.

***

Clark overshoots his third receiver of the day, throwing into the wind. He appears to be a little too jazzed up right now.

***

And guess what the Lions did on their next drive . . . First two plays, two Evan Royster runs, and a first down.

***

Another sluggish road start for the Lions, and questionable play calling throwing on their first three plays with this wind. But I gotta say, I kind of like the call. Gotta show Iowa the playbook hasn't been thrown out the window.

Defense, on the other hand, better get its act together fast or else Greene will run all over them.

***

Two plays later, Shonn Greene scampers 14 yards for an Iowa touchdown. Greene accounted for all 25 Iowa yards on the drive.

Iowa 7 PSU 0, 13:54 first quarter

Drive Summary: 2 plays, 25 yards, 0:35

***

On third and 10, Daryll Clark drops back to pass and Hawkeye defensive end Adrian Clayborn strips clark, and the officials rule Clark recovered the ball on the one-yard line. It was under review and was confirmed. But the replay I saw looked like Clark recovered it in the end zone.

Boone punts it away from his own end zone into the teeth of the wind. The ball is returned to the 25, great opening field position for the Hawkeyes.

***

Iowa's kickoff man Daniel Murray needs a holder for the kick. That tells ya how strong the wind is.

Here we go.

The kickoff, going with the wind, drifts five yards deep into the end zone for a touchback.

***

A.Q. Shipley calls tails, and ... it fails.

Iowa wins the toss and wisely differs, the Lions take the ball and Penn State will start the game heading into the wind. So we'll get to see how the spread HD works in less-than-good conditions.

***

Now it's gametime, Enter Sandman just blaring from the PA system as the jumbotron shows the Hawkeyes walking to the tunnel.

Meanwhile, Penn State's captains emerge from their locker room.

And as has been tradition under coach Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes come out holding hands.

Almost immediately after Penn State takes the field to about 2 seconds of "boos."

***

Four cheerleaders just carried Herkie Hawkeye out onto the field. I don't really know what to say about Herkie. He's a character, looks kind of like a manged blackbird with anorexia. I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, but Herkie ain't winning any best-looking mascot contests anytime soon.

***

And I almost just soiled myself. Right at the end of the national anthem there was a three-jet flyover that went right over the pressbox and shook the whole thing. Just call me Mavrick, Goose.

The crowd, as a whole, is pretty spotty. I guess that's what happens when your team is 5-4. There's still a third of the student section empty and tons of patches of bare seats everywhere around Kinnick.

***

Twenty minutes before kickoff, Joe Paterno, in a golfcart, made his way from the Penn State locker room toward the pressbox. Must've left his team with some last-minute words of wisdom before heading to his post above the field.

***

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Ok, it's gametime, with Penn State's Big Ten and BCS title hopes on the line. The Lions are heading for the tunnel and running right past the Penn State section in the southeast corner of the stadium.

Obviously not too many people got the memo of the blackout and greeneout because there's a lot of black spread amongst the green in the student section and a lot of gold throughout the rest of the stadium.