Plays that swung the game: Iowa Football vs Penn State

Find a way to win. That’s what the Hawkeyes did on Saturday night against Penn State. Trailing 21-10 midway through the third quarter, Iowa rallied for a 25-24 win over the Nittany Lions, including scoring the game-winning touchdown with under four minutes to play. With the win, the Hawkeyes move to 5-2 on the season and 3-1 in Big Ten play.

Here are the biggest and most impactful plays that helped shape the Hawkeyes win over the Nittany Lions, including thoughts from former Iowa quarterback Chuck Long…

1. Mark Gronowski breaks through for the Hawkeyes longest rush of the season

Situation: Penn State 24 Iowa 19 – 4:56 4Q – 1st and 10 on UI 25

Trailing 24-19 with 4:56 to play, it was time for Mark Gronowski to make a play. The pass game had not been very successful, but he had found some success with his feet. Why not queue it up again then? On the first play from scrimmage after a PSU field goal, Gronowski takes the zone read keep and busts through the defense for a 67-yard run to set the offense up inside the ten-yard line. The key part of the play was Mark making S9 miss, while two other Nittany Lions defense took each other out turning the play into a race for the end zone. Kaden Wetjen found the end zone on the next play to give Iowa the lead.

Chuck Long’s Thoughts: “He just had a quarterback run game and with the safety, he just broke through the tackle. The safeties read it right, they came down, collapsed hard and read it, but they just couldn’t make the tackle. It’s like they were diving at ghosts. (Xavier Williams) is just hustling down the field and gave Mark extra time to gain some yards, but that was just poor tackling on Penn State’s part and Gronowski made them pay.”

2. Disaster before halftime: PSU turns a blocked field goal into six points

Situation: Iowa 10 Penn State 7 – 0:06 2Q – 3rd and 2 on PSU 48

One of the most bizarre decisions by Kirk Ferentz in recent history, he opted to send Drew Stevens for a 66-yard field goal attempt with six seconds left in the first half. Penn State called a timeout, but Stevens took a practice kick that came up well short, landing in the end zone, but Kirk stuck with his decision. The result was quite literally the worst-case scenario. The Nittany Lions got pressure from the left side of the line and Xavier Gilliam blocked the kick straight backwards for Elliot Washington II to track down, pick up return for a touchdown.

Chuck Long’s Thoughts: “Just low trajectory on a kick and he has to keep it lower (from 66). Penn State just had too much penetration. It didn’t look like anybody was blocked and the ball just bounced perfectly in the arms of that defensive back coming off the corner and there’s nothing you can do about that part of it.”

3. Deshuan Lee pass breakup clinches the Hawkeyes comeback win

Situation: Iowa 25 Penn State 24 – 1:22 4Q – 4th and 4 on PSU 49

As exciting as the 67-yard run by Gronowski was and the 9-yard touchdown run by Kaden Wetjen that followed on the next play, it took the Hawkeyes just 62 seconds to go in front. The two-point conversion attempt failed, so Penn State got the ball back with 3:54 remaining, needing just a field goal to win it. That meant the defense that had already directly set the offense up for ten points was going to have to get one more stop to win the game. The Nittany Lions gained 24 yards on their first four plays, but stalled around midfield, finding themselves facing a 4th and 4 with the game on the line. Phil Parker brought a blitz, and Xavier Nwankpa blew up the play from the start, knifing right through the line and into the backfield forcing Ethan Grunkemeyer to take off in survival mode. Eventually, Grunkemeyer forced to heave one down the field and Deshaun Lee made the play, breaking up the pass intended for Trebor Pena to seal the game.

Chuck Long’s Thoughts: “It’s a weird play by Penn State. They tried a little roll out here. They tried a three level roll out, and Iowa just penetrated on the weak side of the quarterback, and this was a great play by Deshaun Lee, but it was really disruptive at the line of scrimmage. There was supposed to be a roll out to the left, all the way to the left. With the immediate penetration, he couldn’t get to his roll out spot, and he just threw up a prayer here. That was not the intended receiver at all.”

4. Xavier Nawnkpa grabs his first INT of the year, sets Iowa up at the 1-yard line

Situation: Penn State 7 Iowa 3 – 1:37 2Q – 3rd and 6 on UI 24

The Hawkeye defense struggled to get takeaways during the early portion of the season, but they have done a great job giving the offense short fields to work with over the past three games. The Zach Lutmer interception (vs Indiana), Aaron Graves interception (vs Wisconsin), Bryce Hawthorne interception (vs Wisconsin) and the Zach Lutmer fumble recovery (vs Wisconsin) all set Iowa up in a position to score. Add this one to the tally. With PSU facing a 3rd and 6, the Hawkeyes were looking to get a stop and force a punt, but they got a takeaway instead. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer tried get it to Luke Reynolds on the quick slant, but TJ Hall broke it up and the deflection went into the hands of Xavier Nwankpa who returned it 28 yards to the one-yard line. Mark Gronowski punched it in for the touchdown to capitalize on the turnover.

Chuck Long’s Thoughts: “Nwankpa’s best game as a Hawkeye. He gets the tip here and tipped passes are hard to get. That’s a really good quick reaction by him to get it and he came down from a safety position. He knew that slant was going to happen, and he’s there for the ball.”

5. Iowa defense stops Penn State on downs in their own territory

Situation: Penn State 21 Iowa 16 – 0:22 3Q – 4th and 1 on PSU 40

A play that reminds me of a 4th down decision that Indiana made when they narrowly escaped Kinnick, the Nittany Lions opted to go for it on 4th and 1 from their own 40-yard line. The last thing you want to do is give a Phil Parker coached defense a chance to make a potentially game-changing play. Interim head coach Terry Smith opted to roll the dice, and it backfired. PSU tried some trickeration, with tight end Luke Reynolds coming in to take the snap, but he was stonewalled and never came close to the line to gain. Linebacker Jayden Montgomery came flying in from his spot at the snap, while Aaron Graves was able to submarine his way through to help make the stop.

Chuck Long’s Thoughts: “(Iowa) is all loaded up defensively. The safeties are way down low. They basically have 11 people in the box there. They have nine in the box and Penn State does not have enough blockers. It’s a good play; I just thought it was too far to get there for Penn State. I’m surprised they ran that play with a loaded box like that. You’re not going to be able to do that on Iowa, right? Throwing the ball there would’ve been a better option.”

6. Mark Gronowski takes off for a big gain, drive ends with a much-needed touchdown

Situation: Penn State 21 Iowa 10 – 8:01 3Q – 3rd and 3 on UI 33

After seemingly sitting in a spot of control just before halftime, the Hawkeyes found themselves reeling after Penn State opened the second half with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take a 21-10 lead. The ensuing drive after the PSU TD felt like a must score drive for an offense that had six drives amount to just three points in the first half, not including punching it in from the one-yard line after the Xavier Nwankpa interception. Facing a 3rd and 3, Mark Gronowski appeared to drop back for the pass but quickly opted to pull it down on a quarterback draw. A clear running lane opened up and Gronowski took off for a 38-yard gain to keep the drive alive. It was a huge chunk play on third and short, with Iowa punching it in five plays later for a touchdown.

Chuck Long’s Thoughts: “Tim Lester is getting them in three by one formations for easier reads, but this is just a quarterback draw, straight quarterback draw design run, lead blockers out in front. Another good play call by Tim Lester. Penn State showed blitz and then they bailed out, so it was the perfect call against the Penn State defense with that bailing out of blitz look. They were going backwards as defenders and, all of the sudden, here comes the quarterback draw. Either they anticipated that, or they saw on film that in that down and distance they will do that at that end of the field. Really good game planning by Tim Lester there.”