Nov. 7, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., - Penn State concludes its stretch of four away games among five overall, visiting Iowa on Saturday in its final road game of the season. The No. 2 Nittany Lions were idle last week and last played on Oct. 25, beating then-No. 10 Ohio State, 13-6, in Columbus. The Hawkeyes are coming off a last minute 27-24 loss at Illinois. The No. 2/3 Nittany Lions (9-0, 5-0) and No. Hawkeyes (5-4, 2-3) will meet at 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT in Kinnick Stadium. The clash will be seen on ABC in 67 percent of the nation, with coverage of ESPN for the rest of the country. The Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com also will air the game.
Penn State has won 40 of its past 49 games overall (81.2), the nation's fifth-best record over that span. Since the start of the 2005 season, the Nittany Lions are 38-9 (80.8), tied with Florida for the nation's eighth-best record. Penn State will be seeking its ninth 10-0 start under Coach Joe Paterno, with the last time coming in 1994.
Penn State has won 10 consecutive games, tied with Alabama for the nation's second-longest win streak, trailing only Texas Tech and Utah (11). The Nittany Lions are one of only six unbeatens left in Division I-A, along with Utah (10-0), Alabama, Ball State and Texas Tech (9-0) as well as Boise State (8-0).
The Nittany Lions are 4-0 on the road this season and have an opportunity to earn their first unbeaten season on the road since 1994, when they went 5-0.
The Nittany Lions own an 11-9 series advantage in a series that began in 1930. The squads played nine times before Penn State began Big Ten competition in 1993. The teams are meeting in Iowa City for the first time since 2003. The visiting team has won 13 of the 20 series games. Penn State is 7-3 in Kinnick Stadium, with a 3-2 mark in Big Ten play, earning victories in 1993, '95 and '99.
Iowa junior Shonn Greene is one of the nation's top running backs, becoming the first Iowa RB to gain 100 or more yards in nine consecutive games. He is No. 3 in the nation in rushing at 139.7 ypg, gaining 1,257 yards on 198 attempts (6.3) and has 11 touchdowns.
Iowa has one of the nation's top defenses, ranking in the Top 25 nationally in rushing (12th, 100.7 ypg), pass efficiency (9th, 100.5 rating), total (24th, 301.5 ypg) and scoring defense (7th, 13.2 ppg). The Hawkeyes rank in the top three in the Big Ten in all four categories. They have grabbed 16 interceptions, good for No. 3 in the nation, and have held four opponents to less than 10 points.
The Nittany Lions have been ranked in the Top 15 nationally in total and scoring defense each of the past four years and are off to a strong start this season despite personnel injuries and losses. The Nittany Lions again are ranked among the nation's Top 15 in the four primary categories, and No. 21 in sacks. Penn State leads the Big Ten in all four primary defensive categories.
Penn State in NCAA/(Big Ten) Defensive Rankings: Rushing - 11th/(1st), 99.1 ypg; Pass Efficiency - 4th/(1st), 95.9 rating; Total - 6th/(1st), 265.9 ypg; Scoring - 4th/(1st), 11.1 ppg; Sacks - T 21st/(T 3rd), 24 (2.7 spg).
Penn State senior standout wide receiver Deon Butler (Woodbridge, Va.) is within four receptions of becoming Penn State's career leader. Butler, who came to Penn State as a walk-on defensive back, has 164 career receptions. The school leader is Bobby Engram, who had 167 catches during his brilliant career (1991, `95-95). Butler's 2,458 career receiving yards also are second to Engram's 3,026 yards. He has 18 career touchdown catches, third on the school list behind Engram (31) and Kenny Jackson (25).
Senior placekicker Kevin Kelly (Langhorne) became the Big Ten career kick scoring leader in the Nittany Lions' 46-17 win over Michigan and is one field goal away from owning another record. Kelly connected on two field goals in the win at Ohio State, moving him into a tie for the Big Ten career lead with 72 (with Ohio State's Mike Nugent). Penn State's career scoring leader with 391 points, Kelly has 383 career kicking points. He has moved into third place on the Big Ten career overall scoring list at 391, trailing only Wisconsin's Ron Dayne (426 pts.) and Indiana's Anthony Thompson (412 pts.).
Following the Iowa game, Penn State returns to Happy Valley for its last two contests. The Nittany Lions host Indiana on Nov. 15 in the first meeting between the teams in Beaver Stadium since 2003. The contest will kick at 12:00 p.m. and air nationally on the Big Ten Network.