Penn State Iowa Betting – Nittany Lions Try To Crack The Code At Kinnick Stadium
The Penn State Nittany Lions have simply not been able to handle the Iowa Hawkeyes over the past decade. Joe Paterno’s team will try to reverse that trend this Saturday.
NCAA football betting: Penn State Nittany Lions @ Iowa Hawkeyes
Online Betting Odds: Iowa -7
Why To Bet On Penn State
The Nittany Lions have a stingy defense. Penn State did not allow Alabama to score any more points than the Tide did against Arkansas (24), and coordinator Tom Bradley, who has been at Joe Paterno’s side for many decades (though not for Paterno’s entire head-coaching reign in Happy Valley), is one of the best defensive minds around. Combine that reality with the fact that Iowa’s offense has struggled, and you have the recipe for a potential Penn State upset. Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi flatly failed his team in its big September game against the Arizona Wildcats in week three. Knowing that his defense is supposed to win games for Iowa, Stanzi still stumbled. He threw a pick-six in the first half which enabled Arizona to bolt to a 14-0 lead and eventually hold off the Hawkeyes, 34-27. Iowa’s offense was dormant for two and a half quarters against Arizona and took too long to get going. Iowa did tie the game at 27 due to a pick-six of its own, but when Arizona scored with 3:57 left to re-take the lead, Stanzi wasn’t able to answer. Iowa’s offense – which was balky in 2009 – did not become decidedly better in its first true test of 2010. If Penn State’s defense can simply get some turnovers, this will become an even-steven battle decided in the final minutes of regulation (or perhaps overtime).
Why To Bet On Iowa
The Hawkeyes’ defense excelled even though Iowa lost at Arizona on Sept. 18. Arizona scored 21 of its 34 points due to a blocked punt, a pick-six against the aforementioned Mr. Stanzi, and a kick return for a touchdown. Iowa’s defense allowed only 13 genuine points and did very little to lose the game for Kirk Ferentz’s team. Playing at home in Kinnick Stadium, Iowa should thrive in general, but against Penn State, the Hawkeyes could really have a field day. First of all, Iowa has beaten Penn State in seven of the last eight meetings between the two schools. Second, Iowa has allowed more than 14 points to Penn State in only one of the past five meetings. Third, Iowa smothered Penn State last year in Happy Valley, rolling to a 21-10 win even without much offensive production from Stanzi. Fourth, that 21-10 win was achieved against a senior PSU quarterback, Daryll Clark. This year, Iowa will face Penn State freshman signal caller Robert Bolden, who has struggled mightily under center for the Nittany Lions. Penn State has scored just four touchdowns in its last three games combined, and two of those games were against inferior Mid-American Conference opponents. PSU is having nightmares in the red zone, and against Iowa’s defense, it doesn’t seem as though the Nittany Lions will improve in that regard.
How The Game Will Play Out
Penn State-Iowa has been a lopsided matchup over the past decade, and the confrontation between PSU’s offense and Iowa’s defense has been particularly one-sided. The Hawkeyes will smother Robert Bolden and should not give up more than one touchdown. A score similar to last year’s 21-10 tally would be appropriate, although Iowa should probably be able to add a few more points on home turf.
Penn State Iowa Betting Pick: Iowa
