Penn State vs Iowa Tailgate Show | How Can Penn State Get An Upset with Freshman QB?

The Penn State Nittany Lions Football team travels on the road for its first game without James Franklin in 12 years. Interim head coach Terry Smith takes over alongside second-year quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer as the duo heads out to Iowa to face the Hawkeyes in primetime. Get ready for the game, what you need to know about the team, and more on the Penn State Football Tailgate Show. We’re live at 4 pm inside the Legends Pub inside the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. The Tailgate Show is produced in conjunction with Seven Mountains Media.

There will be more drama on and off the field over the next two months as Penn State football heads into a new era. From the coaching search to the games on the schedule, transfer portal drama, and more, there’s never been a better time to subscribe to Blue White Illustrated.

Penn State faces an up-hill battle on Saturday night

While the Penn State program has been listing and taking on water in the team’s three-game losing streak, they have not fully hit rock bottom. Despite inexcusable losses, the team hasn’t been blown out in any game. Is this the week? We discuss how the team’s strategic weaknesses match up with Iowa’s ancestral strengths. We’ll discuss the Iowa run game, offensive philosophy, and how that combination has been the Penn State defense’s biggest weakness.

What needs to happen for the team to get its defense back on track? We’ll discuss how there’s no great solution to the problem on film, but it’s a very simple fix for the Lions’ defense.

Can the offense find a spark under Grunkemeyer?

On the other side of the ball, the Penn State offense has played without consistency or chemistry throughout the season. Could a new quarterback provide a spark to the offense? We’ll discuss how Grunkemeyer fits certain aspects of Andy Kotelnicki’s scheme better and how he might leverage Grunkemeyer’s traits.

Next, we’ll outline how Penn State can build around Grunkemeyer and give the first-time starter a chance to have success against a stingy Iowa defense. Spoiler alert: It’ll involve senior running back Kaytron Allen.

Availability report, predictions and more

Finally, we’ll give you the latest news as the team takes the field for warmup, including the official availability report, which comes out in the show’s final segment. Smith already mentioned that cornerback Zion Tracy should be back for the game. Who else is available? Who is questionable? We’ll let you know! Finally, we’ll give you our score predictions to end the show.