How Penn State football 'turned a corner' with win over Iowa

Now in the midst of his sixth season at the head of Penn State’s football program, the flow of firsts and milestones has slowed from a river to a trickle for James Franklin.

It’s supposed to be that way as the accomplishments become more difficult and harder to reach. Saturday, Franklin and the Nittany Lions lifted themselves onto a new rung of the ladder, leaning on a stout defense to claim the first road win over a ranked team in Franklin’s tenure with a 17-12 win over Iowa.

“We wanted to be able to go out there with the game on the line and come through,” fifth-year senior safety Garrett Taylor said. “I feel like we’ve come up short in times past, and I think we’ve finally turned that corner. You can see that look in guys’ eyes: We’re going out there to win the game.”

The lessons along the road to Saturday’s ranked road win were plentiful and costly — a blown 18-point lead at Ohio State in 2017, a pair of thrashings at Michigan in 2016 and 2018, a rain prolonged stunner at Michigan State in 2017.

All of those losses created detours for teams who probably could have accomplished more with a bounce here and a break there.

They formed the path to Saturday night in Kinnick Stadium, where Penn State played well enough to absorb some questionable officiating and silence one of the loudest environments in college football.

“I was just proud of how our players and coaches managed the game,” Franklin said. “We didn’t turn the ball over. We protected the football. We scratched and clawed for just enough points.”

Penn State played Iowa’s game, and played it better. The Nittany Lions like to talk about complementary football, and they executed it perfectly when they absolutely had to.

Sean Clifford didn’t light the world on fire in his first start against a ranked team, but he didn’t lose the game for the Nittany Lions, either. He never turned the ball over and was productive with his feet.

Freshman running back Noah Cain rumbled and tumbled his way to 102 yards on 22 carries. In a one-score game, Cain helped Penn State run out the clock with a physical run on third-and-3.

“To end the ball on our terms like that, we haven’t really been able to do that,” Franklin said. “...Against a good team, on the road, against one of the best defenses in the country, I’m really proud.”

Add in Blake Gillikin’s extremely effective day punting the ball, pinning the Hawkeyes inside their own 20-yard line five times, and the Nittany Lions did almost everything possible to put their elite defense in a position to succeed.

“Our defense, obviously, has shown the world that we can get the job done,” Clifford said.

There are other games of a similar nature between the Nittany Lions and where they’d like to go this season.

Penn State must travel to play a Minnesota team that could very well be unbeaten on November 9, and a showdown with Ohio State in Columbus in the season’s penultimate week.

But for now, the Nittany Lions will enjoy this one.

“I’ve never been happier to be on a team,” Pat Freiermuth said.