Nittany Lions welcome 110,830 fans, second-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: September 24, 2023

Courtesy of GoPSU Athletics

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 7/7 Penn State Football (4-0, 2-0) dominated on both sides of the ball and registered a 31-0 victory against the No. 24/22 Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday evening in front of the second-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history.

Penn State’s defense stole the show, shutting out an AP Top 25 opponent for the first time since it did so in the 1999 Alamo Bowl against No. 18 Texas A&M. The Blue & White held Iowa to just 76 total yards of offense, split between 50 passing yards and 26 on the ground. Linebackers Abdul Carter and Curtis Jacobs led the way with a trio of tackles apiece, while linebacker Dominic DeLuca, and defensive ends Chop Robinson, Amin Vanover and Dani Dennis-Sutton each forced fumbles on the night. Jacobs became the first Nittany Lion to recover a pair of fumbles in a single game since Mark D’Onofrio did so against Temple on Oct. 5, 1991.

The complementary outing saw PSU outgain Iowa by a 397-76 yardage tally in addition to a striking 97-33 differential in total plays. The Blue & White did an exemplary job of keeping Iowa’s offense off the field, winning the time of possession battle by over 30 minutes. Penn State finished the night 9-for-20 on third down, while Iowa was held to a 1-for-9 conversion rate. Additionally, PSU was able to cash in on all four of their red zone opportunities, while the Nittany Lion defense held Iowa without a red zone chance.

A balanced Penn State rushing attack led by running back Kaytron Allen gained 215 yards on the evening, with the Norfolk, Virginia, native responsible for 72 on his own. Quarterback Beau Pribula entered the game in the fourth quarter and finished with 55 yards on the ground while running back Nicholas Singleton tallied 49 yards highlighted by a game-high 19-yard scamper in the third quarter.

The Nittany Lions totaled 182 yards through the air, with quarterback Drew Allar responsible for 166 of those after completing 25 of his 37 passing attempts. Allar finished the night with four touchdown passes and zero interceptions, culminating in a steady quarterback rating of 140.9. Pribula finished the contest 1-for-3 with 16 yards passing. Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith hauled in eight receptions overall for 66 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Theo Johnson snagged six passes for 42 yards. Tight end Tyler Warren recorded a career-high two touchdown grabs and fellow tight end Khalil Dinkins recorded his first receiving touchdown of the 2023 campaign.

The Blue & White welcomed a sellout crowd of 110,830, the second-largest attendance figure in Beaver Stadium history. PSU’s only higher-attended contest in the venue came on Sept. 29, 2018, in a matchup with the Ohio State Buckeyes that saw 110,889 fans pack the stands.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Penn State won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Neither team was able to get much going on their first trips down the field. On Iowa’s second drive, the White Out crowd made itself heard, causing a false start penalty on the Hawkeye offense. On the very next play following an Iowa timeout, Dennis-Sutton forced a fumble that was picked up by Jacobs at the Nittany Lion 18-yard line.

The Nittany Lion offense got on the board first, thanks to a 46-yard field goal by Alex Felkins. Felkins capped off a 17-play 53-yard scoring drive that took 7:28 off the game clock. Penn State took the 3-0 advantage with 1:35remaining in the opening frame.

On the Nittany Lions’ next drive, the Hawkeyes forced a punt, however Thompson’s boot hit an Iowa player on the fly and was recovered by Johnny Dixon at the Hawkeye 39-yard line, sending the Penn State offense back on the field. Allar led the Nittany Lion offensive unit down the field and tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to Dinkins, extending the lead to 10-0 at the 9:17 mark of the second quarter.

Penn State’s defense blanked Iowa over the final minutes of the first half, taking a 10-0 lead into the locker room. The Nittany Lions picked up two turnovers and stifled the Hawkeyes, conceding just 63 total yards in the half.

On Penn State’s first drive of the second half, Allar led the Nittany Lions on a 15-play, 75-yard scoring drive to increase their lead to 17-0. A two-yard touchdown from Allar to Warren was the culmination of the drive which took 6:40 off the clock.

The Nittany Lions scored once again on Warren’s second touchdown of the game, a seven-yard grab. Penn State went 71 yards on 12 plays for the 24-0 lead at the 1:01 mark of the third quarter.

Penn State’s defense went back to work, forcing a fumble on the first play of Iowa’s next drive. Robinson got to quarterback Cade McNamara for a strip sack that was picked up by Isaac. The Nittany Lions took possession at the Iowa 19-yard line. Allar took the Penn State offense down the field and threw his fourth touchdown pass of the night to increase the Nittany Lion lead to 31-0 at the 12:19 mark of the fourth quarter on a four-yard touch pass to Lambert-Smith in the corner of the end zone. Penn State took eight plays over 3:37 to move 19 yards down the field for the score.

One more splash play by the defense was all that was needed to put a bow on the shutout. Vanover forced a fumble on a sack of Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill, recovered by Zuriah Fisher, for the Hawkeyes’ third turnover of the game with 3:25 remaining. Penn State cruised to the victory by a final score of 31-0.