SHOTS FIRED

Ladies and Gents, it’s Penn State-Iowa Week! This means a couple things. First of all, Penn State’s grueling non-conference schedule has finally come to a close. Wait nevermind, there’s still one left in October. The Panthers of Eastern Illinois from I-AA will roll into town the weekend of the 10^th, can’t forget them when talking about the cupcake sampler du jour. Bill, your Nittany Lions have digested so many of them that they now share a disease with Wilford Brimley. Don’t forget your insulin shots when you travel up north to the erector set gone wrong known as Beaver Stadium.

The second thing and more important thing is it means is that it’s time to talk about the events of last November 8^th. That’s the day Penn State laid a big fat egg at Kinnick Field and watched their national championship hopes disappear when Iowa kicker Daniel Murphy split the uprights as time expired. Out of respect for what had to have been one of the most devastating days in Billy’s years at college I didn’t text him that day. It’s been ten months now, time to tear open those wounds! Let’s look at that kick from behind the goal posts.

Now from the corner of the endzone!

MORE!

DON’T STOP!

ONE MORE!

I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. Special thanks to all those “large fore-headed Iowans” who brought their camcorders to the game to capture that moment for us to remember forever.

Now let’s look at this year’s game for a bit. Penn State has looked thoroughly unimpressive. Their offensive line apparently “gelled” in their big win over the Temple Owls last weekend as they ran for a whopping 186 yards (117 yards less than last year when they played Temple for those keeping track). Be afraid: the Iowa defense’s motto this year is "six seconds of hell" which ironically is Billy’s motto in the bedroom. It’s fast, spastic, and bodies are flying everywhere…but it’s so effective that the other team on the field is normally left bruised, flustered, and confused.

The defensive side of JoePa(roleOfficer)’s team has two starting linebackers (Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman) who aren’t going to be playing because their knees hurt. Hawkeye Freshman Adam Robinson ran for over 100 yards last week against Arizona, a defense that held Central Michigan (the same one that shredded Michigan State) to 74 yards rushing. Does this put fear in the hearts of Penn State fans? No, but the combination should allow doubt to creep in.

There are a lot of these “revenge” games that have popped up over the last few years and they never really turn out the way people anticipate. There are a lot of times where the team gets their “revenge,” but it isn’t the bloodbath that’s expected. I think this is one of those games. Penn State hasn’t had a legitimate test yet and they’re banged up. Iowa has looked better and better each week and have won six of the last seven against PSU (including a 6-4 barnburner in 2004 on Homecoming in State College...which Billy skipped out on to watch a NOTRE DAME GAME). I think they cover the 10pt spread in a grind it out game, but the homefield advantage Penn State gets in the Erector Set pushes them over the edge.

For Penn State Haters everywhere it’ll be unfortunate…but we’ll always have November 8, 2008…