UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Prior to Saturday night, Penn State's last shutout of Iowa came in 1993 when the Nittany Lions took down the Hawkeyes, 31-0. Penn State replicated that same result 30 years later in the annual Penn State White Out Saturday, featuring a suffocating defensive effort.
The Nittany Lion defense held the Hawkeyes to just 76 total yards and forced Iowa into as many turnovers as first downs allowed. After gaining 54 yards and picking up a pair of first downs on its first two possessions, Iowa failed to record another first down until late in the fourth quarter.
Penn State's defense has depth and talent at all three levels. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz's creativity with blitz packages led to three edge rushers on the field at one time, as junior defensive end Chop Robinson rushed the passer from the defensive tackle position. Robinson throws a "changeup" as said by head coach James Franklin who recognized the "suffocating style."
"We put a priority on athleticism," Franklin said. "There's probably a few bigger defenses, but we are athletic and we're quick and we're fast and we're explosive. And we're playing more consistent gap-sound defense and Manny's doing a great job from a big picture and leadership perspective but then also just getting everybody to understand how you really play defensive and what it takes."
Diaz has earned the respect of everyone within the program and has immersed himself within the culture. The second-year Penn State defensive coordinator has instilled a mentality of getting opposing offenses "off schedule" as put by Franklin who shared how Diaz's defense has limited the run game in early downs in order to attack the quarterback.
This mentality rang true Saturday as the Nittany Lions were aggressive and forced four turnovers for a total of nine in the past two games. Penn State also allowed just four first downs which ranked as the fourth-fewest in blue and white history.
It truly was a performance for the ages. Iowa was shut out for the first time since 2000 and Saturday marked the first time Penn State posted a scoreless effort against a top-25 team since 1999.
Sophomore defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton helped set the tone for the shutout with a forced fumble in the first quarter. Dennis-Sutton wasn't surprised by the shutout and shared that his defense played with more physicality. "It's a fun defense to play in," Dennis-Sutton said.
"Obviously once we got to halftime and it was zero to whatever the score was, as a defense, our defensive line and the whole defense, we felt like it should be a shut out," Dennis-Sutton said. "From the first drive but especially at halftime, when we kept them at zero, that's not where they wanted to be."
Robinson posted a sack and a forced fumble as he bolted around the edge and took down Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara, who was held to just 42 yards passing. Robinson is a versatile and speedy edge rusher who can pass rush from anywhere on the defensive line, giving Diaz another trick up his sleeve.
With a focus on stopping the run, Penn State held Iowa to just 20 rushing yards. Robinson indicated a mantra of "dominate the man in front of us" and relying on the secondary to give the defensive line just enough time to get to the quarterback. It's a healthy relationship in the defense that's leading to success.
"I couldn't be more thankful for those guys," Robinson said. "They're doing their job and getting us paid, they're putting money in our pockets. It's a win-win for each other."
Redshirt senior defensive end Adisa Isaac correlated Saturday's performance to the 2019 team he played on. Isaac also collected a sack and a fumble recovery. He said Saturday's game will continue to build more confidence for the defense.
Penn State "took away their whole playbook" Isaac said and illustrated how the defense is playing together as one who's "believing" in themselves.
"We pride ourselves on starting fast so that was kind of a big emphasis from last week of, try not to give up early yards, get the offense confidence and momentum," Isaac said. "We tried to take it early so once we felt like it was getting out of hand at first, we came back to our ground rules and just play fast and dominate."
