Iowa crushed Penn State's hopes of ringing the victory bell for the first time in 329 days in a 41-21 loss at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, giving the Nittany Lions their first 0-5 start in program history.
The game got off to a slightly hopeful start for Penn State. Yes, the Nittany Lions failed to score on their opening drive for the fourth consecutive week, but there was a bit of promise shown in the series.
Quarterback Will Levis, in his first start of the season, completed a nice throw to Parker Washington on third-and-12 for an early first down, but the possession ended quietly three plays later with a punt following an incomplete pass to running back Devyn Ford.
Iowa's first time with the ball brought a mix of good and bad news. Let's start with the bad. Hawkeyes quarterback Spencer Petras led his team on a nine-play drive that went 55 yards that resulted in a 40-yard field to give Iowa a 3-0 advantage.
Allowing points so early is typically a loss, even if it's a field goal. However, in the 2020 season for Penn State, it was the first time since the opener against Indiana the Nittany Lions didn't allow a touchdown on the opponent's opening drive.
Levis looked like a proper starter on the second possession for the Nittany Lions. He ran for 44 yards on seven rushes on a drive that resulted in a Keyvone Lee touchdown from the 6-yard line. The 7-3 lead with 2:12 in the first quarter marked the first Nittany Lions lead in a game since the overtime period against Indiana. Levis made the drive happen without star tight end Pat Freiermuth, who didn't play with an injury.
Iowa took the advantage back in less than five minutes with a six-play touchdown drive that went 75 yards and took 2:57 off the clock. Petras got the drive going with two completions for 12 and 16 yards, respectively, and running back Tyler Goodson capped off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run to give the Hawkeyes a 10-7 lead.
If you've watched more than three minutes of Nittany Lions football, you likely know what happened next.
Levis tried and failed to pitch the ball to Lee. The ball hit the ground. Iowa picked it up. A slight bit of good news: It wasn't a scoop-and-score like the ones Sean Clifford allowed in consecutive weeks against Maryland and Nebraska. But Iowa's Mekhi Sargent later capped off an eight-play, 41-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown.
Iowa scored once more with 11 seconds left in the first half, as Petras took the Hawkeyes down the field in 42 seconds with Sargent again scoring on a 1-yard rush to complete a 49-yard drive on its seventh play.
The Nittany Lions were down 24-7 at halftime, the fifth time in as many weeks the Nittany Lions have had a double-digit deficit at the break. Winning isn't easy when you get outscored 117-33 in the first half as Penn State has through five games; hence, the historic 0-5 record.
Saturday's loss mostly went by the same script as the previous four. The Nittany Lions lost the turnover battle. When the team needed a play the most, it didn't happen.
There was one bit of surprise.
Clifford, benched in favor of Levis after poor performances, entered the contest with 4:09 left in the third period. He threw a 28-yard touchdown to tight end Brenton Strange on his first throw, after the Nittany Lions got the ball on a Lamont Wade fumble recovery. Of course, in 2020 fashion, the extra point attempt while down 18 was blocked.
Clifford then threw another beautiful pass to Jahan Dotson for 68 yards for a touchdown and Lee scored a two-point conversion.
The Nittany Lions entered the fourth quarter down by 10. Clifford looked like maybe he wanted his starting job back.
Well, it wouldn't last. Clifford got his pass tipped at the line and picked off by Chauncey Golston on a drive following an Iowa field goal, and the Hawkeyes had the ball at the Penn State 23. The defense held Iowa to a field goal, to their credit, but the score was now 34-21 with 7:14 remaining in the game.
Clifford then threw another pick to Daviyon Nixon — a defensive lineman who rumbled for 71-yards in a play that will surely get a lot of run in the highlight packages.
Clifford's quick spark with two touchdown passes was fun while it lasted. That's the thing about 2020 for Penn State: The good times don't last long.
The Nittany Lions hope to get a win next week against Michigan. Will Clifford or Levis get the start? Will it matter? Either way, the result almost feels inevitable they way things are going.
