What Penn State Football needs to happen to knock off Iowa in top-5 matchup

Penn State Football travels to Iowa to take on the third ranked Hawkeyes in a top five battle of unbeatens at Kinnick Stadium, set for a 4pm kickoff on FOX. 

Penn State Football and Iowa are set for a top five showdown in Iowa City, a rarity for the Big Ten to have this kind of game, especially one that does not involve Ohio State. In fact, this is the first Big Ten game since 1997 between two top five teams not involving Ohio State. That game pegged No. 2 Penn State against No. 4 Michigan, a game Nittany Lions fans would like to forget.

The Hawkeyes will undoubtedly have a raucous home crowd to there advantage at a place in Kinnick Stadium, where national title hopes are known to go to die.

Except thus far through James Franklin’s tenure, that has not been the case.

Franklin’s teams are 4-1 against Iowa, and have won three straight in Iowa City, with that one loss coming in last years pandemic-shortened season.

This has all the makings of a defensive struggle as Penn State Football and Iowa rank second and third respectively in scoring defense, and both sit in the top ten in yards allowed per play, with Iowa(3.9) and Penn State Football(4.3).

Before this epic clash, Here’s what it will take for Penn State Football to knock off Iowa

Jahan Dotson has his Heisman moment

Jahan Dotson winning the Heisman most likely isn’t in the cards this season despite his potentially historic numbers he figures to put up.

However, Saturday we Dotson is going to have “that” moment with the whole country watching when he takes a punt return back all the way to the house in a crucial moment to silence Kinnick Stadium.

We saw the star wide receiver return a punt for a touchdown last season against Michigan State and almost again the following week against Illinois.

He has not has many opportunities this season but Saturday afternoon he officially announced himself to the college football world.