Penn State vs. Iowa 10/9/2021 College Football Picks, Prediction, and Preview

By PickPub | pickpub | 7 Oct 2021

Penn State visits Iowa on 10/9/2021 at 4:00PM.

Penn State and Iowa face off in a regular season matchup. Games are on campuses and crowds are full once again! Penn State sports a record of 5-0 this season. Iowa is 5-0 this season. Enough preamble… Let’s get to the preview…

Penn State Team Defense Preview

Penn State has had 64 total defensive drives this season and they yield 5.55 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive opponents run , but they are a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. Third and long situations are common against this season ‘s defense. This is a defense that forces opponents to commit penalties, have compromised offensive line play, and fail to convert on crunch possessions. Passing plays are 54.08% of their opponents’ play calls.Penn State tends to face teams that prefer to air it out or opponents wanted to air it out against them.

Penn State opponents have had struggled with running the ball and the defense crushed the spirits of their opponents with zero or negative yard plays. 4th and Short is not a cake walk, maybe passing on 4th and Short or having some sort of RPO is the way to go because if an Offensive Coordinator thinks that they can just line up and run a Quarterback Sneak or hand it off to a tailback against this season ‘s defense, they are mistaken. Opponent rushing yards attributed to their offensive line this season comes out to 2.84 yards per carry. Generally speaking, this is an average defense when it comes to how offensive lines control or fail to control them on the ground. This is also a team that is allowing running backs and quarterbacks to get to the second-level in an average fashion. The breakout rushing plays are simply not happening, it is a massive reach to expect them to give up big rushing plays.

This is not a disruptive Defense and they get pushed over way too easily. Perhaps they are too vanilla with playcalling. Their front seven is simply unable to make an impact, something must change or else the problems will repeat. Penn State has had shown themselves to be better at stopping the pass than the run this season .

Penn State Team Offense Preview

Penn State has had 60 drives in non-garbage time minutes and they average 5.58 plays per drive. There is not much to take away here when it comes to how many plays per drive they run , but they are a team that falls in the average window when it comes to plays per drive. Penn State has had shown a capability to be explosive on first and second down to avoid third downs and has had converted well (relatively) on 3rd and 4th Down situations. Penn State passes the football 50.75% of the time.Relatively speaking, this is a team that favors run/pass balance.

Penn State struggles with running the ball, getting zero or negative yard plays is disspiriting and the offensive line is not effectively making a good push. Poor playcalling, pre-snap adjustments or post-snap reads may be responsible and this could fall on the Quarterback, Offensive Coordinator, and Head Coach. Based on the Adjusted Line Yards metric, which measures the amount of credit that should be ascribed to the offensive line for a rushing play, they average 2.67 yards per carry. So what does this mean? It means that the offensive line has had been incredibly disappointing in their contribution to the ground game. When it comes to getting to that second level where linebackers have not crashed down on the line of scrimmage, they are getting stopped with ease. The breakout rushing plays are simply not happening, it is a massive reach to expect this season ‘s team to bust out big rushing plays.

Defenses have had trouble making big, disruptive plays against Penn State this season. Front sevens are causing an average amount of trouble for the Offense. Penn State is a better passing team than running team this season .

Iowa Team Defense Preview

Iowa has had 70 defensive drives in non-garbage time minutes and they yield 4.69 plays per drive. Relatively speaking, Iowa are not a team that allows many plays per drive. The defense either gives up big plays quickly or induces a lot of three-and-outs, we shall find out more. Third and long situations are common against this season ‘s defense. This is a defense that forces opponents to commit penalties, have compromised offensive line play, and fail to convert on crunch possessions. Iowa opponents passes the football 53.96% of the time.Iowa tends to face teams that prefer to air it out or opponents wanted to air it out against them.

Iowa is not doing anything particularly special as far as their ability to create negative yardage plays on the ground. How effective are opposing offensive lines given what we know about their ability to force negative yardage rushing plays? Iowa can take credit for holding the offensive line of their opponent to 2.61 yards per carry. Opponent offensive lines have had been simply unable to support their running games against their defense. When it comes to getting to that second level, running backs are getting stopped. This defense does not allow themselves to be gashed. The breakout rushing plays are simply not happening, it is a massive reach to expect them to give up big rushing plays.

Disruptive plays are a part of the fabric of this team’s defensive effort. Game changing plays that drive Offensive Coordinators and Quarterbacks crazy, they find ways to deliver. Getting more granual into the front seven and their ability to cause trouble, they are just average in this regard. Iowa has had shown themselves to be better at stopping the pass than the run this season .

Iowa Team Offense Preview

Iowa has had 67 total drives this season and they generate 4.93 plays per drive. Relatively speaking, Iowa is not a team that runs many plays per drive. The offense is either prone to faltering and struggles to notch first downs or extremely explosive, we will need to find out a bit more to get answers. Struggles to get ahead of the chains and convert on third and fourth down are common, the offense can stagnate. Iowa passes the football 46.97% of the time.Relatively speaking, this is a team that favors run/pass balance.

Iowa struggles with running the ball, getting zero or negative yard plays is disspiriting and the offensive line is not effectively making a good push. Poor playcalling, pre-snap adjustments or post-snap reads may be responsible and this could fall on the Quarterback, Offensive Coordinator, and Head Coach. How effective is the offensive line given what we know about their ability to prevent negative yards on rushing plays? More than you think, thanks to the Adjusted Line Yards metric. Iowa can take credit for 2.49 yards per carry. So what does this mean? It means that the offensive line has had been incredibly disappointing in their contribution to the ground game. When it comes to getting to that second level where linebackers have not crashed down on the line of scrimmage, they are getting stopped with ease. With a relatively average explosiveness in the running game, breakout rushing plays are possible, but it is not something to count on from them.

Defenses have had average success disrupting the flow of the Iowa Offense. Front sevens of opposing defenses are causing a lot of problems. Iowa is a better passing team than running team this season .

The Penn State Roster

The Players to Watch for Penn State

Sean Clifford QB 6’2″ 217 Junior

Sean Clifford put up 1336 yards, tossed 11 touchdowns, and he threw 3 interceptions this season. He threw deep and medium passes to receivers more often than not. His average completed pass was 8.7 yards. He was considered one of the most mobile Quarterbacks in the country this season, designed runs and zone read looks are common. His average rush was 3.3 yards.

Noah Cain RB 5’10” 226 Sophomore

Noah Cain had 187 rushing yards on 59 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 3 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 3.2 yards. He is a consistent option in the passing game considering that he is a running back. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 3.2 yards.

Jahan Dotson WR 5’11” 182 Junior

Jahan Dotson picked up 446 yards through the air. He caught the ball 35 times this season. He reached the end zone 6 times. He is a go-to in the passing game. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 12.7 yards.

PJ Mustipher DT 6’4″ 300 Junior

The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Penn State, PJ Mustipher, had 21 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 3 tackles for loss this season.He was a strong pass rusher in the interior this season registering 1 tackles for loss.

Arnold Ebiketie DE 6’3″ 253 Senior

The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Penn State, Arnold Ebiketie, had 22 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 6 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 3 sacks this season.

Jaquan Brisker S 6’1″ 212 Senior

The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for Penn State, Jaquan Brisker, had 16 tackles this season.Among Defensive Backs, he was very active and disruptive in the backfield, he had 3 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 1.0 sacks this season.

Joey Porter Jr. CB 6’2″ 193 Freshman

The leading tackler among Cornerbacks for Penn State, Joey Porter Jr., had 20 tackles this season.He forced 0 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at picking off passes, he had 1.0 interceptions this season. Lockdown corner.

The Iowa Roster

The Players to Watch for Iowa

Spencer Petras QB 6’5″ 233 Junior

Spencer Petras put up 943 yards, tossed 7 touchdowns, and he threw 1 interceptions. He threw a variety of different length passes. His average completed pass was 6.9 yards. The zone read is a common part of the offense and mobility is used as part of the offense, but not necessarily the focus of the offense. His average rush was -2.4 yards.

Tyler Goodson RB 5’10” 199 Junior

Tyler Goodson had 430 rushing yards on 99 carries. Was he able to get to the end zone on the ground? He had 5 rushing touchdowns. He is considered one of the workhorse running backs of College Football returning this season. His average rush was 4.3 yards. He is a consistent option in the passing game considering that he is a running back. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 4.3 yards.

Nico Ragaini WR 6’0″ 191 Junior

Nico Ragaini picked up 132 yards through the air. He caught the ball 11 times this season. He reached the end zone 0 times. He was a consistent option in the passing game this season. When he catches a pass, he generates on average 12.0 yards.

Louie Stec DT 6’0″ 264 Sophomore

The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Iowa, Louie Stec, had 3 tackles this season.He forced 1 tackles for loss this season.He had 0 sacks this season.

Zach VanValkenburg DL 6’4″ 267 Senior

The leading tackler among Defensive Tackles for Iowa, Zach VanValkenburg, had 17 tackles this season.Among Defensive Tackles/Nose Tackles, he was clogging the gaps and playing disruptive proving he is one of the best at forcing lost yardage, he had 5 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 2 sacks this season.

Jack Koerner DB 6’0″ 204 Senior

The leading tackler among Defensive Backs for Iowa, Jack Koerner, had 25 tackles this season.He was effective at tackling receivers on screens with 1 tackles for loss this season.He was among the best at disrupting things up the middle and getting to QBs, he had 1.0 sacks this season.