Franklin Confidently Sends Message as Penn State Trounces Iowa

You see, there are two Iowa football teams. 

There is the one college football fans fetishize about. It’s as idyllic as a baseball field in the middle of a cornfield in the Hawkeye state, complete with a touching backstory that America needs its farmers and longevity at the coaching position will produce a darling jewel amidst the cornstalks and world’s largest rest stops. It’s a team that will bleed you dry with stingy defense, time-sucking offense and elite special teams. 

And then there’s the real Iowa football team. 

It’s got a good punter and that’s about it. 

James Franklin confidently snapped every Hawkeye fan back to reality and sent a notice to the rest of the country with a 31-0 shutout over Iowa in a Beaver Stadium White Out.

It feels like an easy lay-up to say that Franklin and Penn State gave Kirk Ferentz, Brian Ferentz and the rest of the Iowa Hawkeyes a taste of their own medicine Saturday evening. 

But that would imply that Iowa’s offense can score points. Or possess the ball for long periods of the game. Or pick up first downs. All of which exist in the fantasy version of Iowa.

No, what Franklin did was more than give Hawkeyes a taste of its own medicine. 

It was an annihilation, a walloping and a statement that Franklin has this Penn State football team confidently ready for bigger things this fall, marked by likely the most-complete quarter ever played under the Nittany Lions’ 10-year head coach.

His aggression and preparation is all over the box score. Not only did the Nittany Lions once again score more than 30 points in a game, but Franklin’s squad picked up more first downs (28) than Iowa had rushing yards (20), forced as many turnovers (4) as the Hawkeyes had first downs and ran more plays (97) than Iowa had total yards (76). 

The third quarter served as a microcosm, where Penn State came out of the locker room to notch a 15-play, 75-yard drive that ate up six minutes and 40 seconds from the game clock, ending with Drew Allar connecting with Tyler Warren in the back of the south endzone. 

Penn State’s defense followed that up with a 3-and-out that featured a rush for no gain, a Cade McNamara incompletion and then another run of -3 yards by the Michigan transfer who spent the offseason raving that Iowa’s offense won’t be the same old same old. 

The domination continued with another lengthy drive of five minutes, 50 seconds and another Allar-Warren connection in the back of the end zone. 

The pièce de résistance, however, was strip sack by Chop Robinson on the very next Iowan play from scrimmage, setting up the evening’s final touchdown – this one a fade to KeAndre Lambert-Smith that may have been Allar’s best throw as a starting QB. 

That type of drive charts are what Iowa fans have been clamoring for. 

And yet, Franklin – a man detested by Hawkeye fans for “faking” injuries – laid down on their very team. This was Franklin’s ability to prepare his team, keep them focused and most of all, send a message where the message can be read most clearly, the scoreboard. By the time third quarter had concluded, Penn State had the ball for all but one minute and 34 seconds of it, scored two touchdowns, picked up on fumble and squashed any energy out of the Hawkeye sideline.

Sure, Franklin could have been caught up in “rat” retribution this week publicly. Instead, while Ferentz was saying it wasn’t an issue, the Langhorne, PA native was clearly privately reminding his players about the 2021 loss in Iowa City.

The message was publicly delivered on the scoreboard in the third quarter, whipping the already frenzied Beaver Stadium into a party that no amount of tropical storm rain could dampen. Now if anything, it was a message to the rest of the country that a storm is brewing in Happy Valley.

For the first time all-season Penn State looked its most complete and most ready to fulfill its potential. 

On offense, Allar finished the evening with four touchdowns, allowing enough time for backup Beau Pribula to come in and provide for just five fewer yards than the Hawkeyes were able to generate on offense. There were authoritative runs from running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen and pushes mainly coming from Warren to help propel Allar forward several times to allow Penn State to convert successfully on all four of its fourth down conversions. 

The offense’s more than 45 minutes of possession – a record under Franklin – kept a defense fresh that derailed Brian Ferentz’s drive for 325 points as it allowed no points and just six completions on offense while putting the ball on the ground four times. With that, Curtis Jacobs became the first Penn Stater since the early 90s to record two fumble recoveries in the same game. 

The defense’s pass rush got home effectively as well, recording three sacks and five tackles for a loss. 

In sum, Manny Diaz’s unit was relentless. Saturday marked the first time since 2000 the Hawkeyes were blanked on the scoreboard. This was a display from the defense Penn State fans had been dreaming of this offseason more so than in any of its three prior games. In a matter of fact manner, it looked complete, it looked intimidating, it looked confident and it looked elite. 

It’s going to be a real problem for opposing offensive coordinators – no matter their skill level – as Penn State now enters the middle third of its season. 

It’s this middle third of the season that includes one of the two biggest tests this year, but right now, Penn State’s coach has the confidence – and fans should have the belief – that this team is ready for those challenges.

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Previous version misstated Beau Pribula’s offensive production.