No. 3 Iowa Tops No. 4 Penn State With Fourth-Quarter Comeback

The No. 3 Hawkeyes scored 13 unanswered points after falling behind 20–10 late in the third quarter to beat No. 4 Penn State 23–20.

For most of the night, it seemed as though Iowa's offense would be unable to support another standout performance by the Hawkeyes' defense. Then, the fourth quarter started, and the tides turned.

No. 3 Iowa rallied late to outlast No. 4 Penn State, 23–20, to remain undefeated and seize control as the Big Ten's top-ranked team. The Hawkeyes finished the game with 13 unanswered points and forced four turnovers, knocking out Penn State starting quarterback Sean Clifford in the process.

🙌 @HawkeyeFootball FANS HAVE STORMED THE FIELD pic.twitter.com/5Eeb3wnb9W

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 9, 2021

Penn State was held scoreless on its last six possessions, including five in the fourth quarter. Over those six possessions, the Nittany Lions managed just 19 total yards on 25 plays, with three punts, two turnovers on downs and one interception.

After his injury, Clifford was replaced by sophomore Ta'Quan Roberson, who finished the game 7-for-21 for 34 yards and two interceptions.

Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras went 17-for-31 for 195 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Tyler Goodson rushed for 88 yards on 25 carries, while Nico Ragaini led the Hawkeyes through the air with four catches for 73 yards and the go-ahead score with under seven minutes to play.

TOUCHDOWN HAWKEYES 🔥

Nico Ragaini comes up HUGE for @HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/COYqsyeR9T

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 9, 2021

It was the Iowa defense that won the day for the Hawkeyes. Four different Iowa defenders had interceptions, and the Hawkeyes held Penn State to just 287 yards of total offense. Iowa improves to 6–0 for the first time since 2015.