Penn State's Defense Flattens Iowa With 2021 on Its Mind

James Franklin showed his players clips from the controversial Penn State-Iowa game in 2021. That prompted a shutout and a celebration.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Among the pregame videos Penn State coach James Franklin showed his team last week was a fragrant reminder of Penn State-Iowa in 2021. The clips included an Iowa assistant coach feigning a flop during the game, suggesting that Penn State's players were flopping with phantom injuries. One particularly acute moment occurred when Iowa special teams coach LeVar Woods appeared to mock Lions defensive end Arnold Ebiketie, who got up slowly after a play.

Current Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson knows Ebiketie well. Ebiketie advised Robinson about his transfer from Maryland to Penn State and about playing end for the Lions. Robinson also was mentored by former Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, who sustained a season-ending injury that night against Iowa. So the video Franklin showed the team gave Robinson an idea.

"I don't know if you saw that but, once I got the strip sack [in the second half], I flopped twice," Robinson said after the Lions' 31-0 shutout of the Hawkeyes at Beaver Stadium. He later added, "I’d say it came to my mind when coach Franklin showed [the video] in the team meeting. Once I saw that, I was like, I'm going to do that once I make a big play."

And so it went Saturday night, when Penn State's defense released a fury that had been building for two years. Penn State held Iowa to an unfathomable night of offensive misery. The Hawkeyes made four first downs, rushed for 20 yards, converted one third down and ran just 33 offensive plays. They gained 38 offensive yards on two of those plays, and just 38 more on the rest. Penn State became the first team to shut out Iowa since 2000, a span of 286 games. And Penn State wasn't leaving the White Out without a shutout.

Though the Lions and Franklin avoided discussing the 2021 Penn-State Iowa game last week, and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said it wouldn't be a factor, clearly the memory lingered. And for those who didn't play at Iowa in 2021, Franklin offered a refresher course.

Five Penn State players were injured in that Penn State-Iowa game, including Mustipher and current defensive tackle Dvon Ellies. Lions defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton went to the same high school (Maryland's McDonogh School) as Mustipher and Ellies. He watched that game as a Penn State commit and took their injuries particularly hard. "It hurt me," he said late Saturday. Following the game, Dennis-Sutton and Ellies did a quick FaceTime chat with Mustipher.

"PJ was excited," Dennis-Sutton said with a smile.

Mustipher also loved the new third-down package Penn State unveiled against Iowa, one that tormented the Hawkeyes and quarterback Cade McNamara all night. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz lined his top three defensive ends together (Robinson, Dennis-Sutton and Adisa Isaac) on passing downs, giving Iowa's line constant tension. Robinson caused straight havoc rushing through the interior of Iowa's overwhelmed line. He also sent McNamara to the sideline for good in the third quarter with his strip sack that prompted his celebration.

Robinson barrelled around right tackle, sacking McNamara and swatting the ball loose. Isaac recovered it. Robinson then flopped twice, a low-key nod to 2021 that perhaps not many people at Beaver Stadium noticed. But the players knew.

"When Chop did his little flop, that was for what the [Iowa] special teams coordinator did down on the sideline [in 2021]," Dennis-Sutton said.

The Iowa offense went 3-and-out FIVE straight times.

Next possession: Turnover on 1st down pic.twitter.com/VFeRZnYN9o

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 24, 2023

Franklin has said often that he considers all three ends to be starting-caliber players. So last week, Diaz packaged them into one pass-rush front. Franklin loved the idea.

"We know we’ve got three guys that can be really disruptive, as well as others," Franklin said. "And Chop has the ability to really be powerful as a pass rusher. So, we thought his quickness and power gave us something as a change-up in a different package against their third-down package. So I thought it was good for us."

The players loved it, too. Penn State's defensive ends had generated pressure on previous quarterbacks, notably Illinois' Luke Altmyer, but were clinching sacks. With an extra half-second of McNamara hanging in the pocket, the ends knew they could be disruptive together.

"I would imagine they start freaking out when they see all three of us out there," said Dennis-Sutton, who forced a fumble, broke up a pass and recorded a quarterback hurry. "And then with Abdul [Carter] and Curtis [Jacobs] coming in behind us? It's a fun defense, man. It's a fun defense."

Particularly for Robinson, who lined up over interior linemen for the first time this season. As a 254-pound defensive end, Robinson doesn't think those linemen can contain his speed and burst. He likes seeing the center snap as well. Gives him more leverage and the ability to make quick leaps off the line. When Diaz installed the package, Robinson "knew it was going to be fun."

"It's hard for an offense, because when you see three defensive ends on the field, you don't know where to slide or where to block," Robinson said. "It's confusing for the offensive line, and that's good for us."

The four first downs and 76 yards of offense Penn State allowed both set school records in Big Ten play. Iowa's offense is struggling, sure, but that was no accident.

"We expected it," Dennis-Sutton said. "I don’t want to sound cocky or disrespect Iowa, but we prepared for this game."

More on Penn State

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Penn State 31, Iowa 0: Breakdown of a Big Ten beatdown

Penn State and Iowa have a wild history at Beaver Stadium

Flashback: In 2021, James Franklin responded to Iowa's suggestion that his team faked injuries

Coziah Izzard makes quick impact in return to Penn State's defense

Football's only part of Micah Parsons' success, James Franklin says

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.