Howe: Ready or Not, Here Comes Penn St.

Saturday's Game Against No. 7 Nittany Lions A Litmus Test

Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara runs onto the field before a game against Western Michigan on Sept. 16, 2023 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Iowa Football enters Week 4 searching for consistency. It's not uncommon. The best teams improve with time and few hit the ground running. 

The Hawkeyes are learning lessons in victory, which beats the alternative. They're 3-0 following Saturday's 41-10 win against Western Michigan at Kinnick Stadium. 

They're up to No. 24 in the new Associated Press Top 25 released Sunday. Still, it's hard to say if this team is a Big Ten contender. 

That changes next week at seventh-ranked Penn State. If Iowa doesn't raise its level of play, it will learn its next lesson in its first loss. It knows that. 

The path to the upset begins with the Hawkeyes playing their best game of the season. That shouldn't be breaking news. 

Iowa started slowly Saturday before turning it on. It started fast before stalling out in defeating Utah State and Iowa State. They've all been uneven performances. 

We're mostly talking about offense here. The defense and special teams, despite a few hiccups, are strong again. 

We won't go down the complementary football path. You either subscribe to it or think it's an excuse for poor offense. There's not much middle ground. 

No matter your stance, we can agree that consistency is key. That's not ignoring Saturday's 387 yards or 41 points. It's putting them into context. 

Credit a rebuilding Western Michigan program for going toe to toe with the four-touchdown favored Hawkeyes for a half. Taking advantage of an opponent's sloppy play can be a key ingredient in upsets. 

While not a complete performance by Iowa, it cleaned up its play in the second half and closed with offensive momentum. The 254 rushing yards (161 in second half) are especially encouraging for a Hawkeye outfit ranked 109th out of 132 FBS programs in rushing offense (100.0 YPG) coming into this game . 

Again, ignoring the level of competition keeps us from seeing the complete picture here. Western Michigan is 1-2 with its other loss being 48-7 at Syracuse, the Orangemen torching the Bronco secondary, something the Hawkeyes did not do. 

Iowa's other two wins are against a 1-2 Iowa State squad that lost at Ohio Saturday and 1-2 Utah State, which fell, 39-21, at Air Force this weekend. It makes measuring the Hawkeyes' preparedness for Penn State difficult. 

The Nittany Lions also are 3-0 after Saturday's businesslike, 30-13 triumph at Illinois in their Big Ten opener. Their roster is loaded with highly-regarded recruits as you would expect in a blue-blood program. 

That rarely, if ever, intimidates Iowa. It relishes the underdog role and boasts a history of springing memorable upsets. 

Adding another chapter to the annals, though cliche and, perhaps, an oversimplification, comes down to a strong game plan and execution. And, yes, playing complementary football (ducks). 

It sets up like last year's Michigan game at Kinnick, where the Wolverines methodically "out-talented" Iowa in a 27-14 win. We could see that movie again if the Hawkeyes can't make Penn State uncomfortable. 

That starts with rattling second-year sophomore quarterback Drew Allar. Do not let him get comfortable. 

Veteran signal caller Cade McNamara gives Iowa a tested on-field leader for its offense. He's 1-0 as a starting quarterback at Beaver Stadium, throwing three touchdown passes during Michigan's 21-17 victory in '21. 

McNamara transferred to Iowa for these moments. The Hawkeyes pursued him for these moments. A win here would be a moment. 

It feels like a game where the Iowa passing game can attack a PSU defense that yielded 292 air yards to Illinois. The Hawkeyes are much less likely to run on a Lion team allowing 3.1 yards per rush, especially before proving they can throw it successfully. 

McNamara is working to find his rhythm after missing a chunk of camp with a quad injury. He looks healthy. While you want to keep him that way, it will be interesting to see if bootlegs become a bigger part of the game plan. 

If you're going down, go down swinging. Iowa can be aggressive without being reckless. Passiveness isn't rewarded in these matchups. Embrace the special opportunity and go for it.