There were many impressive things about Penn State football’s 31-0 win over Iowa Saturday.
Defense is at the top of the list.
The fact that PSU had a shutout alone says that it was a dominant performance, but it was even more dominant beneath the surface.
Penn State gave up 56 yards passing and held Iowa to 20 rushing yards on 17 attempts, and Iowa only made four first downs all night compared to Penn State’s 28. Yes, it was a total bloodbath. After the game, Mark Brennan of Lions247 asked Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton if there was a point where the defense noticed that it had frustrated Iowa.
The answer was yes.
“We sensed that from like the first drive I believe,” Dennis-Sutton said. “Me, Chop (Robinson) and Adisa (Isaac), when we went out there on third down and we were just getting in the backfield every play, and we were like ‘yeah, this is gonna be a fun game.'”
It wasn’t a fun game for Penn State that last time it played Iowa before Saturday.
Dennis-Sutton was a senior in high school who had committed to Penn State when Iowa won the 2021 meeting, 23-20 in Iowa City.
But the result isn’t what Penn State fans remember most.
QB Sean Clifford suffered a game-ending injury, and DT PJ Mustipher suffered a season-ender.
Injuries are an unavoidable part of football, but fans and coaches mocking injured players aren’t.
Iowa fans were heard booing Mustipher as he lay on the ground, and Iowa’s special teams coordinator, LeVar Woods, appeared to mock PSU defensive end Arnold Ebiketie.
Iowa’s fanbase punctuaded the win by storming the field, but there was none of that Saturday from anybody wearing Black & Gold in State College.
“They (Iowa’s players) weren’t saying too much out there on the field,” Dennis-Sutton said. “It was a quiet game from them.”
