Iowa's Mitch King tosses his long locks before Saturday's game.
A thorn in the side: Iowa has now won six of the last seven meeting against the Lions.
His first one: Senior linebacker Tyrell Sales made his first career interception in the third quarter.
Missing them: Senior defensive end Josh Gaines missed all of the fourth quarter with an apparent ankle injury. Freshman defensive back Drew Astorino, a key component on passing downs, didn't play much because of a broken thumb suffered two weeks ago.
Select group: The Lions were one of only three teams ranked in the top 10 in scoring offense (eighth) and scoring defense (fourth). The others were Florida (seventh in offense, fifth in defense) and USC (10th offense, first defense).
Protecting the ball: Penn State had thrown only two interceptions in 252 pass attempts, tied for the best nationally with Florida.
The third one, though, against the Hawkeyes proved crucial in the fourth quarter.
Playing fair: Penn State came into the game ranked second nationally with only 26.4 penalty yards per game. The Lions also were No. 3 nationally in fewest penalties per game at 3.22.
They were flagged three times for 35 yards on Saturday.
Look at me: Iowa tailback Shonn Greene isn't a top Heisman Trophy candidate, but he is the only runner in the nation who has gone over 100 rushing yards 10 times this season. He came in averaging 140 yards per game and produced 117 yards on 28 carries against the Lions.
Air to ground: Receiver Derrick Williams did most of his work running the ball as he took several direct snaps under center. He finished with career highs of 53 rushing yards on 12 carries.
-- Frank Bodani


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