SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 7, 2011
Silas Redd led a methodical rushing attack that left Iowa’s defense sucking wind in the fourth quarter, as Penn State won 13-3 at Beaver Stadium Saturday.
Penn State (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) snapped a three-game skid against Iowa (3-2, 0-1 Big Ten) and evened the all-time series with the Hawkeyes at 12-12. Iowa fell to 3-7 in conference openers on the road under coach Kirk Ferentz.
Redd carried the ball 28 times for 142 yards, playing keepaway from Iowa as Penn State had nearly 36 minutes of possession. Penn State finished with 232 rushing yards.
Gerald Hodges’ sack and forced fumble on Hawkeyes quarterback James Vandenberg handed the ball back to Penn State with the Nittany Lions up 6-3 early in the fourth quarter. On a play-action pass, Matt McGloin found tight end Kevin Haplea for a 2-yard touchdown.
Iowa’s offense was stunted by turnovers. The Hawkeyes fumbled twice and Vandenberg threw two interceptions in the final quarter. He finished with 169 yards passing and was sacked five times.
McGloin continued to look like the better option at quarterback for the Nittany Lions. Replacing Robert Bolden in the second half, he finished with 133 yards passing but threw a careless interception in the end zone in the third quarter.
Haplea’s fourth-quarter score was just the second touchdown PSU has scored in its last 10 red-zone trips.
Hawkeyes running back Marcus Coker carried 18 times for 74 yards. But it was the first time in four years that Iowa did not score a touchdown.