Penn State-Iowa Report Card: A White Out Shutout

After the first shutout in White Out history, the Nittany Lions are brimming with confidence.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Penn State produced the first shutout in White Out history Saturday, tuning up Iowa 31-0 for a fresh reminder that this Nittany Lions defense is legitimate. Its numbers were staggering, not the least of which was 76. That was Iowa's total yardage output for the night, a Big Ten low by a Penn State defense. Iowa ran 33 offensive plays, producing 38 yards on two of them. For the rest of the night, Iowa averaged less than 1 yard per play.

The report card leans heavily into the defense, and rightfully so. But this was a pretty strong night all around. To the grades.

OFFENSE: B

Penn State coach James Franklin said he reminded offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich not to get "bored" calling high-efficiency plays. The Lions ran into Iowa's defense 57 times, gradually wearing it down with Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. They gained 6 yards on a quarterback sneak. Penn State didn't generate a bundle of finesse snaps (the longest play was 19 yards) but ground down Iowa to a weary stump. Then Drew Allar threw four touchdown passes, three on third or fourth down to tight ends, demonstrating that he's a red-zone killer. The best play, a 4th-and-1 red-zone pass to No. 3 tight end Khalil Dinkins, burst the dam. And KeAndre Lambert-Smith finished the demolition with a lovely end-zone fade catch, a low-percentage Penn State play for the past few years.

DEFENSE: A+

This might have been Penn State's best defensive performance under coordinator Manny Diaz, who tossed in a few wrinkles. He put his top three defensive ends on the field simultaneously, to phenomenal results. He ran four-linebacker packages. He put defensive backs on the line, cheated others back into coverage and absolutely flustered Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara (5-for-14, 42 yards). So many players kicked in. Robinson had a sack fumble, Curtis Jacobs recovered two fumbles and Adisa Isaac generated constant pressure. According to the game's advanced stats, Iowa offensive success rate was 18 percent. Just dominant.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

Kicker Alex Felkins made a 46-yard field goal, a key moment for him, to open the scoring. He also missed another as the weather degraded. Kaden Saunders had a rare punt mishandle but alertly recovered the fumble to avoid further problems. Punter Riley Thompson didn't have the best night, averaging 37.8 yards per attempt, but also didn't get a call for potential interference. In all, a relatively quiet day for the special teams.

COACHING: A

Franklin turned the 2021 Penn State-Iowa game into a motivational speech last week, and it worked. Diaz absolutely tuned up the Hawkeyes with a debilitating gameplan. And Franklin lavished praise on offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich for leaning into what was working. "I thought Mike did a really good job of calling and notgetting bored against an Iowa defense that is damn good and not get bored of the plays that were consistently getting us five to six yards and coming back to them," Franklin said. "Don’t get bored withthem. Keep coming back to them until they prove that they can stop it."

OVERALL: A

Penn State's best game of the season, and its most complete White Out performance since 2017 against Michigan, was the next step in the team's playoff push. With a midseason preseason stretch forthcoming (at Northwestern, bye, home vs. Massachusetts over the next three weeks), the Lions are positioned to be fresh for their October visit to Ohio State.

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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.