The Penn State Football Report Card: Iowa Edition

The Nittany Lions repeat some of the same mistakes in a loss to the Hawkeyes.

Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski signals first down n front of Penn State Nittany Lions safety Zakee Wheatley. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

IOWA CITY, Iowa | Penn State brought a new motto to Kinnick Stadium but repeated some of the same mistakes in a 25-24 loss to the Hawkeyes. The loss also marked a first for the Penn State football program.

The Nittany Lions have lost consecutive one-point games for the first time in school history, following last week's 22-21 loss to Northwestern with the game at Iowa. Penn State fired head football coach James Franklin after the loss to Northwestern.

Interim head coach Terry Smith said his team played hard but "didn't make [Iowa] earn it at the very end." Penn State is 0-4 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2020 and for the fourth time since joining the conference. The Nittany Lions have lost their four Big Ten games this season by a combined total of 13 points.

A lot of mitigating factors to this week's report card, which include an interim head coach and a first-time starting quarterback. Still, some of the issues have been there all season.

RELATED: What we learned from Penn State's latest bitter loss at Iowa

OFFENSE: C-

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Kaytron Allen loaded Penn State onto his shoulders (28 carries, 145 yards) and nearly dragged it to a victory. Penn State finally treated Allen like its best offensive player but couldn't find a way to get him one more carry. Allen left the field before a late 3rd-and-5, on which Iowa stuffed Nicholas Singleton. The Hawkeyes threw most their defense at quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer on fourth down. Allen simply couldn't do everything.

Ultimately, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki's passing game has been a disappointment this season. Penn State threw for 93 yards, its lowest total since a 2023 win over Rutgers (88). Grunkemeyer gets credit for playing gamely at Kinnick but he's a work-in-progress. That his receivers continue to be as well is one of Penn State's great offensive letdowns of the season. Grunkemeyer was 0-for-4 on passing attempts of 15+ yards, for which his wideouts shared responsibility. Trebor Pena dropped a potential touchdown catch, Devonte Ross made two receptions on seven targets and Kyron Hudson did not catch a pass.

DEFENSE: C-

Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski celebrates after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Per the official stats, Iowa recorded a rushing success rate of 39 percent, which is based on the yards needed and adjusted for the down. Anything under 40 percent is considered "below average." So Penn State's run defense largely was succesful, right? Well, no.

For the second time in three games, Penn State's front seven could not corral a quarterback at the prime moment. Before Saturday, Iowa's Mark Gronowski's best rushing game was a 55-yard performance vs. Rutgers. He surpassed that on the game's most important play, a 67-yard run with under 5 minutes remaining. That set up Iowa's eventual game-winning touchdown. Gronowski sealed the win with a deftly executed bootleg that completely fooled Penn State and coordinator Jim Knowles.

And Iowa certainly didn't hide its second-half strategy. The Hawkeyes ran 16 times for 177 yards and threw twice for 17. Penn State needed to stuff Iowa's run game but simply couldn't. Just like it needed one overtime stop to beat Oregon, a fourth-quarter stop to preserve the lead vs. Northwestern and a fourth-quarter stop to get a chance to take the lead at UCLA. Didn't get any of them.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam (54) blocks the 66-yard field goal attempt by Iowa Hawkeyes kicker Drew Stevens. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Xavier Gilliam's field-goal block that Elliot Washington II returned for a touchdown should have been the game's defining play and all Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz talked about afterward. But special teams have been inconsistent, too. Iowa's Kaden Wetjen returned a punt for 25 yards (which could have been worse) to set up a field-goal attempt, and Ross made a fair catch at the Penn State 10-yard line. Doesn't count for special teams really, but Penn State did stuff a pair of 2-point conversions.

COACHING: B-

Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith walks into Kinnick Stadium with the Nittany Lions. | Mark Wogenrich/Penn State on SI

Terry Smith gets an 'A' for keeping Penn State from unraveling entirely last week, which would have surprised no one. The Nittany Lions looked more engaged, functioned well in the huddle and on the sideline and took only one bad penalty, when linebacker Dom DeLuca was flagged for a personal foul that was reviewed for targeting. Smith's coordinators let him down, though.

OVERALL: C

Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Jaxon Rexroth (12) helps tackle Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13). | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A grade certainly boosted by mitigating circumstances, but this wasn't Penn State's worst performance of its four-game losing streak. The Nittany Lions held an 11-point lead against a team unwilling to marshall a comeback by throwing the ball. And Iowa still won. Some of Penn State's issues (run defense, receivers production) appear unresolvable at this point, particularly with No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana up next. Still, Penn State is cringing at letting a winnable game slip away.