Penn State faces Iowa in meeting of ranked teams in 'surreal' environment

Sep. 22—Dom DeLuca saw former Penn State stars Trace McSorley and Grant Haley working out this week at Lasch Building, which brought back memories for him.

As a high school freshman at Wyoming Area, DeLuca attended the Nittany Lions' 24-21 upset win over Ohio State in the 2016 White Out and rushed the field to mob McSorley, Haley and others.

"It was a great feeling just to be on the field to experience that win as a fan," he recalled.

DeLuca gets to experience his third White Out as a player when No. 7 Penn State (1-0 Big Ten, 3-0) takes on No. 24 Iowa (0-0, 3-0) Saturday night at 7:30 (TV-CBS) at Beaver Stadium.

"Running out of the tunnel, it gives you chills," he said. "It's a surreal feeling. I try to take it in at first and then I try to lock back in and get ready to play.

"They (players experiencing it for the first time) always ask me how it feels to run out. It's really something I can't describe. You just have to feel it."

DeLuca has played a leading role in the Lions' first three games as a reserve outside linebacker and as special-teams captain. He returned an interception for a touchdown against Delaware and forced an Illinois fumble, the first of five turnovers created by Penn State.

Defense will be critical for the Lions and the Hawkeyes. Penn State ranks 13th in the nation in scoring defense, 16th in total defense and seventh in pass efficiency defense.

The Lions, tied for second in the Big Ten with 10 sacks, hope to pressure Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara, the Michigan transfer, who was sacked four times last week by Western Michigan.

The Hawkeyes have three key injuries on offense; tight end Luke Lachey will be out along with backs Kaleb Johnson, who was their top rusher last season, and Jaziun Patterson. Leshon Williams, who had 145 yards, and Kamari Moulton, who had 50, picked up the slack against Western Michigan.

"We're better if we can play balanced, at least have the threat of being balanced," longtime Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "If this team makes you one-dimensional, they can get after the quarterback very aggressively. They've got a bunch of guys up front that can move and they're really slippery and just crafty."

Iowa's defense has limited Utah State, Iowa State and Western Michigan to 12.3 points per game. Cooper DeJean is one of the best cornerbacks and punt returners in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes are allowing 286.0 yards per game, including 106.0 on the ground.

"They're just disciplined," Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said. "They're going to line up, they're going to execute their game plan and they're going to be in the spots they need to be in. Then they play very tough, similar to our defense.

"They've got guys running to the ball, no matter what the situation is. They play with tremendous grit and effort up front. I think that's what makes them who they are."

Allar has completed 67.3% of his passes for 737 yards and four touchdowns. He hasn't thrown an interception in 148 career attempts and hasn't committed a turnover in 13 career games.

Penn State and Oregon are the only FBS teams without a turnover this season.

"He's very talented," Ferentz said of Allar. "He's a big guy who can run and throw. He just seems very relaxed and in command and very composed back there."

With defenses crowding the line of scrimmage, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen haven't had a run longer than 18 yards. The Lions, though, are averaging more than 208 rushing yards and more than 43 points a game.

"We can talk about downfield throws or whatever," Allar said, "but most explosive plays come from the underneath stuff, getting guys like KeAndre (Lambert-Smith) and Nick and Fat (Allen) one-on-one out in space.

"In the run game, Nick and Fat don't get that many one-on-ones in open space, but in the pass game, they really can just because of the coverages."

Iowa won 21-10 as a nine-point underdog in 2009 in its last visit to Beaver Stadium for a White Out. Penn State is a two-touchdown favorite this time.

"If you love college football, it's one of the great venues and great experiences," Ferentz said. "It's a great opportunity from that standpoint. But if you're the opponent, obviously it adds to the degree of difficulty.

"The biggest (factor) is the opponent that you have to play and then secondly the environment. It's a tough one to navigate."

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Rich Scarcella's pick

Penn State 27, Iowa 10

Putting aside the emotions and their memories of the 2021 game, the Nittany Lions are the better team. They have more talent, more speed and more depth than the Hawkeyes. Rain might play a factor, but Penn State and Oregon are the only two FBS teams without a turnover. The Lions use another outstanding defensive performance to take care of business.