Game Notes: Iowa at Penn State

1st and 10

1. Kirk Ferentz has 99 Big Ten wins as Iowa’s head coach, the fourth most of any coach in Big Ten Conference history. His next Big Ten win will be his 100th, joining Woody Hayes (153), Bo Schembechler (143) and Amos Alonzo Stagg (115) in the 100 Win Club.

2: Tyler Goodson has started the last eight games at running back and has nine rushing touchdowns during that stretch. He has back-to-back multi-touchdown games and back-to-back 100-yard rushing games (113, 142 yards). Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten with 11 rushing touchdowns. Mekhi Sargent has four rushing scores (1, 2, 6, 14). QB Spencer Petras (1) and WR Nico Ragaini (1) have each rushed for one touchdown.

3: The Hawkeyes rank second in the Big Ten with eight interceptions (Indiana, 11). Iowa has 61 interceptions since 2017, the most in the country. The Hawkeyes have at least one interception in 11 straight games. They have 16 total interceptions during that stretch. FS Jack Koerner is tied for the Big Ten lead with three interceptions. He has one interception in each of the last three games. DB Riley Moss has an interception in two straight games.

4: Iowa has two of the country’s top returners. Junior Charlie Jones leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth in the country averaging 15.0 yards per punt return. He has one punt return for a touchdown (54 yards vs. Michigan State). Senior WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette averages 24.5 yards per kickoff return in 2020, No. 1 in the Big Ten and 25th in the country.

5: DT Daviyon Nixon leads an Iowa defense that ranks No. 2 in the conference in pass defense (201.5), No. 3 in scoring defense (14.8), No. 3 in total defense (314.3), and No. 4 in rush defense (112.8). Nixon leads the Big Ten with 7.0 tackles for loss. DL Zach VanValkenburg has 5.0 tackles for loss, third in the Big Ten, and is tied for the conference lead with 3.5 sacks. VanValkenburg was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Nov. 16.

6: Tory Taylor ranks second in the Big Ten and 13th in the country averaging 45.8 yards per punt. The freshman has downed 13 of his 20 punts inside the 20, six inside the 10, and three inside the five. He has no touchbacks. He has eight punts of 50-plus yards, with a career-high 61 yard punt Week 3 vs. Michigan State. Iowa leads the country in punt defense. Only two of Taylor’s 20 punts has been returned, (-8 yards).

7: Keith Duncan is Iowa’s all-time career leader in field goal percentage (82.4). He has made 42-of-51 career field goal attempts. Duncan has 210 career points, tying Akrum Wadley (210) for No. 10 all-time. He needs four points to tie Sedrick Shaw and Jeff Skillett (214) for eighth in career scoring, and eight points to tie Tavian Banks and Zach Bromert for sixth (218).

8: QB Spencer Petras has 134 pass attempts through four weeks, the third most by any Big Ten quarterback. He entered the season with 11 career pass attempts. The Hawkeyes are averaging 31.0 points per game, their highest total since 2002 (36.5).

9: TE Sam LaPorta leads Iowa in receptions (24) and receiving yards (133). Only two times since 1992 has a tight end led Iowa in season receiving yards. Alan Cross in 1992 (55-640) and T.J. Hockenson in 2018 (49-760).

10: Iowa is the fifth youngest team in the country with 71.1 percent of its roster made up of true freshmen (31), redshirt freshmen (29) and sophomores (26). Oregon (73.6), Florida State (72.6), E. Carolina (72.2) and Stanford (71.6) make up the top four.

THE SERIES
Saturday will be the 30th meeting between Iowa and Penn State. The Nittany Lions have won the last six meetings and hold a 17-12 advantage in the series. The series is tied, 10-10, since 1993 when the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten Conference. Iowa is 7-7 all-time in games played in University Park.

WARMING UP THE ARM
QB Spencer Petras has 134 pass attempts through four weeks, the third most by any Big Ten quarterback. He entered the season with 11 career pass attempts.  The Hawkeyes are averaging 31.0 points per game, their highest total since 2002 (36.5).

Petras threw for 481 yards in Weeks 1-2, the most by an Iowa quarterback since Jake Rudock passed for 572 yards in the first two games of 2014. His 265 passing yards Week 1 were the most by a Hawkeye quarterback making his first career start since Jon Beutjer in 2000 (380 yards). Petras was the fifth Hawkeye quarterback under Ferentz to make his first career start on opening day. He led the Iowa offense to 460 total yards, its highest total in a Big Ten game since 2018 against Indiana (479).

Petras threw 50 times Week 2 in his Kinnick Stadium debut. The last Iowa quarterback to throw the ball 50 or more times in a game was Jack Rudock, who attempted 56 passes against Maryland in 2014.

Petras has three career passing touchdowns. He connected with WR Brandon Smith for his first career touchdown (7 yards) Week 2 against Northwestern, and hit Smith again for a 14-yard scoring strike Week 3 vs. Michigan. Ihmir Smith-Marsette caught the third touchdown, an eight-yard score at Minnesota.

NEW DRIVER, EXPERIENCED WHEELS
Iowa returns its top seven pass catchers from 2019, including wide receivers Nico Ragaini, Brandon Smith, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, and Tyrone Tracy; running backs Tyler Goodson and Mekhi Sargent; and tight end Sam LaPorta. The group combined for 216 receptions, 2,681 yards, and 15 touchdowns. Those numbers include 89 percent of last year’s total receptions, 90 percent of last year’s receiving yards, and 94 percent of last year’s receiving touchdowns.
In 2020, that group accounts for 63 of Iowa’s 73 receptions, and 657 of Iowa’s 771 receiving yards.

LAPORTA LEADS ALL PASS CATCHERS
TE Sam LaPorta leads Iowa in receptions (24) and receiving yards (133). Only two times since 1992 has a tight end led Iowa in season receiving yards. Alan Cross in 1992 (55-640) and T.J. Hockenson in 2018 (49-760).
Iowa wide receivers account for 41 of the team’s 73 receptions. WR Nico Ragaini, WR Brandon Smith, WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette and WR Tyrone Tracy combine for 40 receptions and 437 receiving yards. The receivers have all three of Iowa’s touchdowns receptions (Smith 7, 14; Smith-Marsette 8).

THAT’S NOT A PUNT, THIS IS A PUNT
Melbourne, Australia, native Tory Taylor ranks second the Big Ten and 13th in the country averaging 45.8 yards per punt. The freshman has downed 13 of his 20 punts inside the 20, six inside the 10, and three inside the five. He has eight punts of 50-plus yards, with a career-high 61 yard punt Week 3 vs. Michigan State.
Iowa leads the country in punt defense. Only two of Taylor’s 20 punts has been returned (-8 yards).

GOODSON LEADS GROUND GAME
RB Tyler Goodson has started the last eight games at running back and has nine rushing touchdowns during that stretch. He has back-to-back multi-touchdown games. He had two rushing touchdowns (3, 9) Week 3 vs. Michigan State, and two more Week 4 at Minnesota (7, 1). He also has back-to-back 100-yard rushing games. Goodson rushed for 113 yards against the Spartans and a career-high 142 yards against the Gophers. Goodson leads Iowa in rushing attempts (63), rushing yards (375) and rushing touchdowns (15, 3, 9, 7, 1).

Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten with 11 rushing touchdowns. Mekhi Sargent has four rushing scores (1, 2, 6, 14). QB Spencer Petras (1) and WR Nico Ragaini (1) have each rushed for one touchdown.

Goodson started the final four games of 2020 and became the first true freshman in program history to lead the team in single-season rushing yards (638). The last redshirt freshman to lead Iowa in single-season rushing yards was Ladell Betts in 1998 (679 yards). Goodson led the team with five rushing touchdowns (1, 10, 2, 55, 1), and had 24 receptions for 166 yards. His 158 combined touches led the team.

In Iowa’s 23-19 win against No. 7 Minnesota in 2019, Goodson became the first true freshman to start at running back under Ferentz since 2012 (Greg Garmon).

RETURN TO SENDER
Iowa has two of the country’s top returners. Junior Charlie Jones leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth in the country averaging 15.0 yards per punt return. He has one punt return for a touchdown (54 yards vs. Michigan State). Senior WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette averages 24.5 yards per kickoff return in 2020, No. 1 in the Big Ten and 25th in the country.

Smith-Marsette is the top kickoff returner in Big Ten history. Smith-Marsette averages 29.4 yards on 49 career kickoff returns, the best in school and Big Ten history. Smith-Marsette has 1,442 kickoff return yards, fifth all-time in program history (Douthitt 1,762; Johnson-Koulianos 1,575; Hill 1,509; King 1,458).

Smith-Marsette has 1,374 career receiving yards, 28th all-time in program history. He has 3,054 all-purpose yards, 15th all-time. He had his first receiving touchdown of the season (8 yards) at Minnesota)

DUNCAN GETTING HIS KICKS
Senior K Keith Duncan is Iowa’s all-time career leader in field goal percentage (82.4). He has made 42-of-51 career field goal attempts. He is 19-of-19 in his career inside 30 yards, and has made 50 consecutive PATs.

Duncan has 210 career points, tying Akrum Wadley (210) for No. 10 all-time. He needs four points to tie Sedrick Shaw and Jeff Skillett (214) for eighth in career scoring, and eight points to tie Tavian Banks and Zach Bromert for sixth (218).

D-LINE EMERGES AS BIG TEN’S BEST
Junior DT Daviyon Nixon leads an Iowa defense that ranks No. 2 in the conference in pass defense (201.5), No. 3 in scoring defense (14.8), No. 3 in total defense (314.3), and No. 4 in rush defense (112.8).

Nixon leads the Big Ten with 7.0 tackles for loss. DL Zach VanValkenburg has 5.0 tackles for loss, third in the Big Ten, and is tied for the conference lead with 3.5 sacks. DL Chauncey Golston has 4.0 tackles for loss, giving the Hawkeyes three defensive linemen in the conference’s top 12 in tackles for loss.

Nixon set career highs in tackles in Week 1 and Week 2. He registered seven stops in the season opener at Purdue, and bested that with 11 tackles in the home opener against Northwestern. VanValkenburg had a career-high three sacks Week 4 at Minnesota, the most by a Hawkeye since A.J. Epenesa had 4.5 against Nebraska in 2019.

Nixon had one career start and 13 games played entering 2020. His career totals included 39 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, and three sacks. He is one of three new starters on Iowa’s defensive line. Senior Chauncey Golston is the lone returning frontline starter on a defense that ranked in the top 20 in scoring, rushing, passing, and total defense in 2019.

In 2019, Iowa’s scoring defense (14.0) was the second lowest total of the Ferentz era (13.0 in 2008). The Hawkeyes allowed just 16.6 first downs per game, 12th fewest in the country and third in the Big Ten, and just 21 touchdowns, third fewest in the country (San Diego State 19, Georgia 20).

BENSON STARTS AND FINISHES
Sophomore LB Seth Benson made his first three career starts Weeks 2-4 and was Iowa’s leading tackler in weeks 2-3 and tied for the team lead in Week 4. He recorded a career-high 13 tackles in his first career start Week 2 against Northwestern. It was Benson’s first appearance of the season. He missed the opener with an injury. He had a team-high eight tackles Week 3 vs. Michigan State, and tied for the team lead with seven stops at Minnesota. His 28 tackles rank second on the team.

Benson appeared in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2019, and saw limited action in three games as a true freshman in 2018. He entered his first career start with 11 career tackles.

GOING THE OTHER WAY
The Hawkeyes rank second in the Big Ten with eight interceptions (Indiana, 11). Iowa has 61 interceptions since 2017, the most in the country.

The Hawkeyes have at least one interception in 11 straight games. They have 16 total interceptions during that stretch. Iowa intercepted two passes in the season opener, one in Week 2, three in Week 3, and two in Week 4. The last time Iowa had a stretch of at least 11 games with an interception was 2008, when the Hawkeyes intercepted a pass in each of the 13 games.

FS Jack Koerner is tied for the Big Ten lead with three interceptions. He has one interception in each of the last three games. LB Barrington Wade and DB Riley Moss each have two interceptions. CB Matt Hankins has one.
Moss returned his interception 54 yards Week 3 against Michigan State to extend the Hawkeyes’ streak of consecutive seasons with a pick-six to 13. Iowa has had at least one interception returned for a touchdown in 18 of the last 20 seasons.

FERENTZ AMONG BIG TEN’S BEST
Head coach Kirk Ferentz has 99 Big Ten wins as Iowa’s head coach, the fourth most of any coach in Big Ten Conference history.

Ferentz’s 164 wins in all games coached as a member of the Big Ten Conference rank fourth all-time in league history. He is one of five coaches in Big Ten Conference history to win at least 150 games as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The top five includes Woody Hayes (202), Amos Alonzo Stagg (199), Bo Schembechler (194), Ferentz (164) and Joe Paterno (162).

Ferentz (164-103) became Iowa’s all-time winningest coach on Sept. 1, 2018. The Hawkeyes defeated Northern Illinois, 33-7. It was Ferentz’s 144th win as Iowa’s head coach, one more than his predecessor, Hayden Fry (143-89-6). Fry coached Iowa for 20 years (1979-98). Ferentz is in his 22nd season in 2020.

Both Ferentz (164, 99) and Fry (143, 96) rank in the top five in overall wins and Big Ten wins. Only Iowa and Michigan have two coaches ranked in the top 10 of both win categories (Bo Schembechler 194, 143; and Lloyd Carr 122, 81).
Iowa is the only school in the country to have just two head football coaches since 1979.

HAWK TALK WITH KIRK FERENTZ
Head Coach Kirk Ferentz is featured on “Hawk Talk with Kirk Ferentz” each week during the regular season. This year’s show will be held virtually and streamed live from 6:30-8 p.m. (CT) on the Hawkeye Radio Network, KCRG 9.2 and the Hawkeye Radio Network YouTube channel.