Two key units are failing Penn State; Lions join rare bad company with latest loss, and more of what they're saying

IOWA CITY — Penn State football hit a new low on Saturday night when it lost to Iowa 25-24 at Kinnick Stadium. The Nittany Lions, by virtue of having a bye week during the final week of October, will now head into November without a single Power Four win yet this season. One is unlikely to come anytime soon, either, as top 10 matchups at Ohio State and with Indiana are the next two contests on the docket.
“We did some really, really good things tonight,” interim head coach Terry Smith said. “The big thing we have to learn is finish that. That has been a problem right now. And you have to learn to play four quarters and finish at the end.”
Here’s a look at what is being said around the Internet on Sunday following the Lions’ latest loss.
Two key areas are failing Penn State
Bob Flounders of PennLive takes two specific parts of the Penn State program to task after this latest loss. One is the receivers. And the other is the run defense.
“Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Penn State’s defense does not have the talent on the defensive line and at linebacker to stop the run,” Flounders writes. “The Lions (3-4) have dropped four consecutive games, and one-dimensional Iowa piled up 245 rushing yards and three touchdowns against PSU.
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What they're saying
Multiple Lions failing
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“Penn State’s veteran wideouts have failed the team for the second consecutive season. Penn State invested heavily in the trio of transfers Trebor Pena, Devonte Ross and Kyron Hudson this season. It’s not going to get better when it comes to the Lions’ veteran wideouts, especially with a road trip to Ohio State awaiting Penn State after a bye week.”
The 2025 Lions are in poor company
ESPN dove into the history books to learn when Penn State last started this poorly during a season.
“The Nittany Lions’ four-game losing streak is tied for the longest in AP poll history by a team that was ranked top 2 in the first poll of the season,” the outlet writes. “The previous team to do it was 1961 Iowa, which was AP No. 1 in the preseason and started 4-0 before losing four in a row.
“Penn State last lost four games in a row during the 2020 season, which it started 0-5. It is the fourth 0-4 start in the Big Ten for the Nittany Lions since joining the conference in 1993.”
Grunkemeyer earns passing grade
That is the take of Rich Scarcella from The Reading Eagle. The redshirt freshman’s final stat line — 15 of 28 for 93 yards and two interceptions — is putrid. But he did show poise on the road for much of the game and was hardly the only reason the Lions lost.
“Ethan Grunkemeyer couldn’t have picked a more difficult venue to make the first start of his Penn State career than Kinnick Stadium,” Scarcella writes. “Grunkemeyer withstood the sellout crowd and held his own against Iowa’s sturdy defense in the Nittany Lions’ 25-24 loss Saturday night.”