Penn State Football: Way too early game-by-game predictions for 2018
By Shane Lunnen
Not sure if Iowa and Penn State can top their thriller last year in Iowa City, with the Lions scoring the game winning touchdown on the last play of the game. The Hawkeyes will be looking for revenge when they head to State College in late October.
Iowa is going to be typical Iowa under Kirk Ferentz. They field a stellar defense to keep them in any game with just enough offense to win close ball games. It is the Ferentz way and led the Hawkeyes to success. The style of play does set back offensive football 20 years, but hey if it’s working, don’t fix it.
Running back Akrum Wadley is gone but quarterback Nate Stanley is back. He’ll have some of his targets back as well like receiver Nick Easley and tight end Noah Fant. On the defensive side of the ball, the Hawkeyes will need to replace some pieces, namely Josey Jewell, but there is plenty of talent in the pipeline. Iowa always fields hard-nosed, tough defenses and the 2018 season should be no different.
If this game were in Iowa City again, it would be a real close one with the Hawkeyes having a good shot at the upset. But since it is a home game for the Lions, I expect them to win pretty convincingly. The Iowa defense keeps it close in the first half, but the dam breaks in the second half with the Lions running away.