UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; October 1, 2010 - Penn State opens its 18th season of Big Ten competition on Saturday, visiting No. 17/18 Iowa in a nationally-televised primetime clash. The teams are playing their conference opener against each other for the second consecutive year and third time overall.
The game, which is scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff, will air on ESPN, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Nittany Lions (3-1) and Hawkeyes (3-1) are meeting for the 23rd time, with the series deadlocked at 11-11. The visiting team has won 14 of the 22 series games, including last year, when Iowa rallied in the fourth quarter to post a 21-10 victory in Beaver Stadium.
Penn State has a 7-4 record in Kinnick Stadium, but will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak there. The Nittany Lions last won in Iowa City in 1999, downing the Hawkeyes, 31-7.
Coach Joe Paterno's squad will look to continue their road success from the past two years. Penn State is 8-2 on the road since the start of the 2008 campaign, including a 7-1 mark in Big Ten away games. The Nittany Lions were 4-0 in conference road contests last year.
Last Saturday, senior tailback Evan Royster ran for a career-high 187 yards, Collin Wagner tied the school record with five field goals and Penn State held Temple scoreless in the final three quarters to record a hard-fought 22-13 win over the previously undefeated Owls in Beaver Stadium.
Paterno became just the fifth Big Ten coach to win 150 games, as the Lions improved to 150-63 since 1993. Former Iowa coach Hayden Fry is sixth on the list with 143 wins with the Hawkeyes.
Wagner became the fourth Nittany Lion to kick five field goals in a game and first since Travis Forney versus Michigan State in 1998 en route to earning Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Safety Nick Sukay grabbed two interceptions while linebackers Michael Mauti, Chris Colasanti, and Nate Stupar each made seven tackles. Stupar made the play of the game with his interception and 31-yard return deep into Temple territory to set-up Wagner's go-ahead field goal late in the third quarter.
Penn State posted season-highs with 216 rushing yards and 439 yards of total offense. The Nittany Lion defense limited the Owls to 202 yards, a season-best for fewest yards allowed, and forced a season-high four turnovers. Royster will enter the Iowa game with 3,215 rushing yards, needing 13 yards to pass D.J. Dozier for fifth place on the Penn State career list and 42 yards to pass Curtis Enis (3,256) for fourth. Royster is 184 yards away from breaking Curt Warner's school record of 3,398 yards.
In his 12th season in Iowa City, Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz has Iowa off to a 3-1 start heading into Big Ten play and their Homecoming match-up with Penn State. Last week, Iowa bounced back from its first loss of the season, a 34-27 setback to nationally ranked Arizona in Tucson, by throttling Ball State, 45-0.
Senior quarterback Ricky Stanzi directs the Iowa offense. He has completed 66.7 percent of his passes in the early going of the 2010 season, throwing for 999 yards and nine touchdowns and one interception. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos is Stanzi's favorite target in the passing game, catching 17 balls for 270 yards and three touchdowns. Adam Robinson is Iowa's leading rusher, gaining 697 yards and scoring six touchdowns.
Iowa leads the nation in total defense, allowing just 227.5 yards per game and 3.92 yards per play. The Hawkeyes also are third in rushing defense, permitting only 65.5 yards per game and 2.38 yards per carry, and tied for fifth nationally in scoring defense (12.00 ppg) and
The Iowa defense is headlined by a pair of preseason All-Americans in senior defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn and junior safety Tyler Sash. Clayborn turned the tide in Iowa's favor in its 2009 match-up with Penn State when he blocked a fourth quarter punt and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown. Sash has 11 career interceptions and holds the Iowa record with 350 return yards.
Penn State will return to Happy Valley to face Illinois on Oct. 9 in its 91st Homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. at Beaver Stadium and the contest will air on ESPN or ESPN, as well as the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com. Illinois is 2-1 and hosts Ohio State on Saturday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.