What went wrong for Penn State Football in heartbreaking loss to Iowa

Still No Running Game

Sean Clifford was Penn State Football’s leading rusher for the game…as a quarterback…who played less than half the game. Clifford finished with 36 rushing yards.

The Nittany Lions three running backs who saw carries in the game against Iowa had the following stat lines;

• Keyvone Lee – 10 carries for 30 yards (3.0 avg)
• Noah Cain – 8 carries for 15 yards (2.7 avg) and 1 touchdown
• Devyn Ford – 1 carry for 1 yard

That is just simply not going to cut it for a team that expects to win as many games as this Penn State Football team does.

Once again, there is blame to go around. From the backs themselves doing a better job, to the offensive line and tight ends making their blocks, to the coaches putting the offense into the best formations and run plays to be successful. All parties involved need to do a better job, though some more than others.

Despite everything that went wrong in the game for the Nittany Lions, from turnovers, to injuries, and way too many penalties…had they been able to run the ball better, they still might have won.

Penn State Football led for most of the game, and much of the second half. Being able to run the ball more effectively would have done a number of things.

First, it would have relieved some stress off of backup quarterback Ta’Quon Roberson. It would have opened up the passing game, and he would not have been forced to have to make as many throws on third and long.

Second, it would have allowed Penn State to extend drives, not only taking time off the clock, but also giving their defense time to rest. This would also have given them better field position to work with, rather than allowing Iowa to start around midfield as a result of the Nittany Lions not being able to move the ball.

Not being able to run the ball with much success hurt the Nittany Lions against Iowa, and will continue to hurt them throughout much of their remaining schedule if the issues are not corrected.