Who Needs to Step Up for Penn State Football’s Showdown vs Iowa?

Brenton Strange/Theo Johnson (TE)

Penn State Football’s tight ends were instrumental in the win over Auburn a few weeks back, and that will need to be the case again in Kinnick Stadium.

First, they will play a huge role in the passing game. If Iowa is successful in getting pressure on Sean Clifford, the tight ends need to get open on short and intermediate routes so that Clifford can get the ball out quick. They will also be very important targets for Clifford in the red zone, especially on play-action passes.

Dotson will obviously be the first person this offense will try to get the ball to in the passing game, but if the Hawkeyes are successful in limiting his impact, the other pass catchers need to step up, including the tight ends.

Another reason that the tight ends will be important in the success of this offense is their run blocking. Tight ends missing blocking assignments have been one of the many reasons that this offense has struggled to run the ball for much of the year so far, but that will need to change against Iowa.

The Hawkeyes are too good of a team for Penn State to be one-dimensional on offense. Their running game does not need to be dominant, but they need to be able to have some success on the ground.

This will be particularly impactful if the Nittany Lions have a lead in the fourth quarter. If Penn State is able to run the ball for at least 3-4 yards per play, even when Iowa knows they are going to run it, they will be able to take a lot of time off of the clock and preserve the lead.

Both of Penn State Football’s top two tight ends will need to have good games both in pass catching and in run blocking for this offense to consistently move the ball against a talented Iowa defense.