Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - First ever crossover episode with Locked On Nittany Lions discussing Saturday's game

Episode Date: October 10, 2019

We are joined by Locked On Nittany Lions host Kevin McGuire for a crossover episode as we dive into what to expect with Saturday's contest.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I thank God I was born on the good arms of the Midwest, and not on the battlefields of the U.S. It's a time of panic, and it's intercepted! It's picked off right away! Intercepted by Marty Hooker! Pick six! Eight seconds into the game! Buffen sets up deep in the pocket, goes down the field for Smith!

Oh! He's got it! Smith! Touchdown. 85 yards. High on. Touchdown, 10. Taking a shot in the end zone.

It is caught. No offense. Touchdown. That's either one or you have it. Go ahead and three. Yes. Two-point lead for the Hawkeyes. What is going on, Hawkeye Nation?

It is the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast, your daily podcast covering your Iowa Hawkeyes on the Locked on Sports Network. I am your host, Andrew Wade. I am not joined here today by my co-host, Zach Cohen, but I am bringing you something very special. Today is our first ever crossover episode with the Locked On Nittany Lions. We are going to be joined by Kevin McGuire as we talk about this upcoming Iowa versus Penn State game. It's something that I was really hoping to bring to you. I think it gives you a really great kind of insider look at what the Penn State Nittany Lions are going to be bringing to Insider look at what the Penn State Nittany Lions are going to be bringing to Kinnick on Saturday.

Going to be a fantastic game between two ranked teams. And as we've seen the last couple years, it's usually a pretty close game. And as we've seen over the history of this series, a pretty ugly game as well. Two top ten defenses are going to be battling it out. Two offenses who've shown some great potential. Obviously, Iowa struggled last weekend against Michigan, but we've seen some really good potential from that offense. So it'll be really interesting to see which defense really wins the battle this upcoming weekend.

But we're going to be giving that to you here in just a few moments. But I want to take care of some housekeeping items. If you are tuning into the show for the very first time, make sure to check out our other episodes this week. And in the past, we've had some great guests on, really loved some of the content we've been pumping out for you on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. So make sure to do that. Like, subscribe and review wherever you downloaded this podcast at, whether that is Google Podcasts,

Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or the brand new Himalaya Podcast app. And also make sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We've been busting out some great stuff on there. Zach's been doing a really great job on Twitter. We have some hype videos brought to you by Iowa Addict on Twitter. So some great hype videos that you're going to absolutely love as well. We've been posting those to our Instagram and Twitter accounts. Make sure to follow us there.

But without further ado, let's jump into our conversation with Kevin McGuire from the Locked On Nittany Lions. Let's jump into our conversation with Kevin McGuire from the Locked On Nittany Lions. Well, I'm excited today because we are doing our first ever crossover episode with the Locked On Nittany Lions. The Iowa Hawkeyes are taking on the Nittany Lions in Kinnick this Saturday. I'm joined here by Kevin. Kevin, great to have you on the show. Great to be doing a crossover episode with you, man.

How are you doing today? I'm doing well, Andrew, and thank you so much for reaching out and getting me on board because, as we were saying, I'm brand new to the Locked On Nittany Lions podcast, but I'm already excited to be a part of this network, and hopefully we can do some more stuff like this in the future. So I'm excited to talk some Penn State, Iowa with you. Absolutely, man, especially, you know, we get into basketball season, which, you know, media days were just last week, so we're right around the corner to basketball season is before we get into football are the

Nittany Lions going to be any good this year I have no idea they they've got a chance I guess to make the tournament I'll admit I don't follow the basketball scene all that closely so I do stick a little bit more to the football but from some of the things I've been seeing from some of the people that do follow Penn State a little bit closely yeah there's a chance they can make the tournament that'd be a nice step forward for closely, there's a chance they can make the tournament. That would be a nice step forward for the program. Yeah, I mean, at least you got a good player in Lamar Stevens. So that's the right step in the right direction.

But the big thing on everyone's mind is obviously the football game that's coming up this weekend. And I was hoping Iowa would have beat Michigan. That would have made this a little more fun. Two, hopefully hopefully top 10 ranked teams coming into the game this weekend, but Iowa lost last weekend. They're playing, you know, Penn State. Penn State is on a five game winning streak. Offensively though, you all have looked pretty darn good. What have you noticed from the Penn State Nittany Lions offense? It feels like you just keep plugging and playing people and you lose Trace McSorley, you bring Sean Clifford

and he's, you know, fantastic. So has the offense been a pretty nice surprise for you this year? I think there are some good positives that Penn State has shown offensively. I think it really goes down to the running game. That's been one of the more productive parts of the game. You know, Sean Clifford has had a couple of nice games here where he's put up some big numbers. And, you know, especially in these last couple of games, they've actually gotten off to fast starts, which is something that was actually bothering them to start the year so I don't know if that's something that has suddenly changed with them moving forward but they still have a lot of good talent that you know comes through recruiting and the way that they've been recruiting the last few years under James Franklin it's actually been taking some steps forward so they you know I don't

necessarily think that they can plug and play at every position, but they are a little bit of a pleasant work in progress, I think. Absolutely. And when I look at the stats, man, the running back, it seems kind of like a committee, right? There's four guys that are right around that 200 yard mark. I haven't, you know, admittedly watched a lot of Penn State games. I turned on Penn State Maryland when Maryland was already getting crushed. And I said, well, that's not worth watching. So what's going on with this running game that, you know, are they spreading the ball around that well, or is it just that y'all getting up to such big leads, you're putting in some backups right away? Well, that plays into it a little bit as well. And I think, you know, there are some young

running backs that have piled up a lot of yards. And to be fair, some of those yards have come when the game's already well in hand, But it's actually been a pretty interesting development. It's something we're actually talking a lot about with Penn State coming into this weekend and this upcoming stretch of three games. You know, this running back by committee, is that going to be the story of the season for them? Because they haven't really had one guy really carry the torch from Saquon Barkley to Miles Sanders to I thought it was going to be Ricky Slade but he's been struggling to get going this season so far and that's why you've seen guys like Journey Brown

Noah Kane is the guy that everybody is really talking about right now with the nice start that he has had so kind of curious to see how this all plays out against Iowa who's going to be the best defensive team that they face this season so this is a big test for this running game and to really see if this is going to stay a committee or if somebody is really going to emerge starting in this weekend's game. Yeah, man, I think from a defensive perspective, I'm actually kind of surprised at how well Iowa's doing given how many injuries they've had.

But kind of to the running back by committee approach, that's kind of something Iowa's been doing. And similar to the – is it Journey Brown you said was kind of the big guy everyone's kind of talking about? Yeah, he and Noah Kane is actually one of the guys that people are a little bit more excited about. He's got five touchdowns this year. He leads the team right now.

But they're both right in the same category. I mean, they're both getting the same kind of touches and same kind of opportunities. So it's just a matter of, I guess, where they are in the field, where those touchdowns are happening. Absolutely. And I think from an Iowa perspective, that's a similar thing that we're kind of experiencing.

We have Makai Sargent as our starter. He's the guy who's going to fall forward. You know, he's going to get those hard yards, and he's a great pass blocker, kind of struggled against Michigan. You have Torin Young, who is a really kind of a bulldozing, north-south kind of running back. But the guy who everyone's talking about for Iowa is Tyler Goodson. And, you know, Penn State does a pretty good job of getting some high-end recruits.

Iowa doesn't, especially at skill positions. And Tyler Goodson is a guy who, you know, he's only a three-star recruit coming out of high school, coming out of Georgia. But this guy looks so impressive. He reminds me kind of Akram Wadley a little bit, has some very impressive lateral quickness. He's a guy that, you know, from if I'm Penn State, I'm actually kind of worried about when he gets the ball because he's a guy who can take it to the house, literally any play. Yeah. And you said it perfectly. You know, Iowa doesn't always get

the star-studded players that some of the programs make, but they always seem to have a running back that is going to cause some problems for teams, especially Penn State. So that's certainly a real key to keep an eye on. I think if you're a Penn State fan, or obviously if you're an Iowa fan, that's going to be a nice little matchup to see how they all play out there.

Because I think we can both agree, running backs are going to be a big feature in this game, right? Yeah, it's going to be an ugly game. I don't know what it is about Penn State versus Iowa, but it is usually an ugly game, at least the last two years, especially. You know, again, running game is really kind of the focus in those last couple games and this game especially. Nate Stanley's coming off arguably his worst game of his career, and the line was absolutely terrible. I have a feeling that Brian F Ference is going to try to really dominate in the trenches, getting his offensive line a little bit more confident and pushing the pile forward.

So that'll be a fun matchup for sure. And from your guys' perspective, a defensive line, you guys have a pretty solid defensive line. I believe one of your guys is actually preseason all Big Ten and is currently, I believe he has seven sacks. Is that accurate? Let me see. It is. It's either Yadagos Matos at defensive end or Shaka Tony is actually having a pretty good couple games too. So, yeah, the defensive line for Penn State has traditionally been a pretty strong unit.

You know, there's so much made about the linebacker lineage at Penn State, but really, you know, more recent memory. So there's so much made about the linebacker lineage at Penn State, but really, you know, more recent memory, I feel like it's been more about the defensive line because, you know, that has been the unit that's really caused the most problems for a lot of teams. Or it's a big reason why the defense is able to capitalize on some opportunities. So, you know, that defensive line, they're hungry. And they've been getting a lot of sacks these last couple years.

And they certainly picked up the pace a little bit last week against Purdue. and they're hoping to see if they can keep that going moving forward. Yeah man and I mean the obviously they're doing pretty well right now they're at they're allowing 50.6 yards per game rushing only 189.8 yards per game passing their second in the nation in points allowed per game so like we talked about this is going to be an interesting battle between you know the offenses are I think both offenses are pretty solid. I think Penn State's offense definitely, you know, gets the nod from me in terms of which one has the advantage, but defensively, it's going to be an interesting game seeing who wins that defensive battle. From an offensive perspective, though, I am curious about KJ Hamler or Hamler.

He's a guy who, you know, is putting up production similar to like a Rondell Moore, right? So is he kind of your X factor on the Penn State offense? I would say so because anytime he gets his hands on the ball, there's a possibility a big play could be happening. Obviously, if he's covered well, it's tough to make too many plays. But, you know, if he gets a slip by one defender and he gets some open space to work with, watch out because he's got the jets to really turn the ball upfield in a hurry. So that's why it's real important. If you're Iowa, you've got to find a way to make sure he's not going to have that room to work with.

I think Iowa can probably defend that, but at some point he's probably going to make a pretty key play. I don't know if he's going to go 80 yards for a touchdown or anything like that, but he's going to be a guy that, you know, Sean Clifford tries to get established a rhythm with at times and, and hope for a big play because you know, that you're probably not going to get too many of them against this defense. Yeah, man. Is that not the story of this, this series because the last two years it feels like the Iowa defense can hold

for most of the time. And then you get a Saquon Barkley-esque play. You get, you know, Trace McSorley running 60 yards down the sideline. It's just, there's just one or two big plays by some of your playmakers. And I think, you know, like you said, if we can shut KJ Hamler down, that's a huge advantage for Iowa. And I'm sure they are going to do a pretty good job of containing him, hopefully, the entire game. But I think you're right. There's going to be one or two plays where there's going to do a pretty good job of containing him, hopefully, the entire game. But I think you're right. There's going to be one or two plays where there's going to be an opportunity, and it could be a game changer for the team.

Look, from what I've seen of Iowa this year, I mean, it's the same old story with the defense. That defense is always going to be pretty good. And we've seen in this series, especially when these games are being played in prime time at Kinnick Stadium, the Iowa defense is a real big problem for Penn State. No matter how many players Penn State has, obviously the last time they were there, they found a way to win that game.

I don't know how, still to this day. That was, I'm sure. So frustrating. I know it was frustrating for you, but that game was an incredible game for so many reasons that I think a lot of people should be able to appreciate. But that's the thing. I mean, this is a low-scoring series, especially when it's being played with two teams that have as good defenses

as we were going to have in this game. This is going to be probably a race to 20 points, if I'm being honest. I know we'll get to predictions later, but I don't see a lot of points in this game either way. Yeah, I think what we see is when there are not going to be a lot of points in the field, you see Kirk Ferens kind of be a little bit riskier. So, you know, if they're on the two or three yard line, they're going to go for a touchdown on fourth down as opposed to kicking a field goal. I think that'll be interesting because like you said, it is going to be a race

of 20 points. I mean, both these teams are allowing under 10 points per game. And I think the defenses are kind of the strong point of the unit. So that'll be, it's, dude, this is going to be an old fashioned big 10 slugfest in Kinnick on, on Saturday night. Do you ever get tired of watching those? If you're an Iowa fan, I know you just came off of one against Michigan. And I think, you know, that's actually kind of interesting to me because, you know, my, my mindset going into this game, I figure Iowa, you know,

they only got the three points against Michigan. And like you said, Nate Stanley didn't have one of his greatest games at all. So, you know, getting a chance to go back home under the lights with a big-time opponent coming in, top-ten opponent coming in, I'm kind of curious to see. You know, I know Kinnick Stadium is going to be fired up for sure. But, you know, is this going to be a bounce back, kind of a return to getting some confidence offensively? And is that something that they get early on?

And if not, you know, how does the rest of the game play out yeah it that's your dude I you and me both man because I think when you the way Iowa lost that game to Michigan I mean Michigan was doing everything in their power to give the game to Iowa and Iowa couldn't find a way to put the ball in the end zone like I said one of the most disappointing performances I've seen from Nate Stanley and that Iowa offense there's a couple statistics I put together I mean ball in the end zone. Like I said, one of the most disappointing performances I've seen from Nate Stanley and that Iowa offense. There's a couple statistics I put together. I mean, in the past decade, they've only scored three points or less three times. They've only had four turnovers or more four times.

I mean, just a terrible offensive performance. I think in this game, they do get it back and get going. This is a talented team. I think a lot of it come down to Michigan's game plan. They did a really good job of, you know, kind of moving some guys around and bring in pressure six, seven guys in Iowa. For some reason, Brian Ferens is to be honest, he's kind of up and down with his play calling, man.

He's a lot more aggressive than his dad, but he can get a little bit too cute where, you know, let's, let's maybe get off the play action. Let's maybe get off the empty backfield sets and let's actually put some guys back there and protect Nate Stanley and see what we can do with Amir Smith-Marset and Brandon Smith. But I do think they come out firing. I don't think they're going to come out running the ball. I think they're going to try to put some points on the board right away

and really re-energize that crowd. Because, dude, I feel bad for Penn State. This is the worst situation you could possibly be in. Iowa's going to be fired up. They're going to be ready to prove people wrong. You're coming to Kinnick at night on national television and it's the A&F game and it's the gold out. If you could pick like the worst situation to play Iowa, I think this is probably it, man. I totally forgot about the gold out and the gold uniforms. I'm going to brace my eyes right now because that's going to be

pretty tough to see. But yeah, you're right. I mean, this is not a good situation for Penn State to be walking into. And really, I know they've already been on the road against Maryland. This is a much different situation because, first of all, there aren't going to be 75% Penn State fans in the stadium this week like they were in Maryland. So this is a much better defensive team, a team that's ready to bounce back in a big way and try to make a statement. And certainly if you look at that Big Ten West, this is a big game for Iowa. They can't

afford to lose another game probably. So this is a tough draw for Penn State with still some young players in some key spots that they're still trying to groom a little bit too. So I mean, this is a massive road test for Penn State to open up a, which is really a key three game stretch for Penn state to determine whether or not they're going to be a legitimate contender in this conference or not. You know, or maybe second place behind Ohio state. We'll see. But this is a tough, cause they got Iowa this week, Michigan next week, Michigan state after that. So, Oh man, that's brutal. This is, this is, that's what I'm saying. You know, Penn state,

this is a gauntlet road test right now, beginning with Iowa and then getting Michigan at home in primetime next week. So this is a true make-or-break season. So we're pointing the season. So I come into this game, and I'm thinking in these next three games, Penn State can afford to go no worse than 2-1 if they're going to be in the running here. And if they can get the first win off the bat against Iowa,

that would be certainly well-earned. Absolutely. You talked about some of the younger guys who, where are some of the positions where you're that concern you from Penn State? Well, I already said that the running back is actually going to be a strengthen for this team moving forward,

but this is a matchup where I think it could be a serious issue because if you know like i said the running backs may have talent but this is a this is the best defensive line the best defense that they face this season and again road environment we've already talked about that but that's why i feel like if this is a running game that it struggles to get going because they don't necessarily have a saquon barkley that's going to put up like 500 yards of offense by himself. That's just something that I think could be truly concerned. So, you know, I still think that they're going to get some good production out of the running game, but I don't think it's going to be anything that gets some big chunks at a time. And it's going to be a mental test, I think,

more than anything. Yeah. And I think, so if they are not able to get the running game going, have you seen any games this year where they weren't able to get the running game going? And how did Sean Clifford respond in those situations? You know, honestly, they haven't really been faced where the running game hasn't really been able to establish much of a rhythm. And that's mostly because of the level of competition they played. You know, Pittsburgh might be the best team that they faced this season. And I think, like I said, it was a slow start to that game for them. It wasn't necessarily that they weren't able to get the running game going.

It's just that sometimes the play calling goes away from what they should probably be doing, running the ball. And they try to go and get something cute or different looking on the field. Sean Clifford is actually, I think responded all right, but he has had times when he's not getting a whole lot of protection, and that's going to be another big key for this game because if Sean Clifford, I don't know if he gets rattled. We haven't really seen him in that kind of a moment yet, so this might be a good chance to see what he does in those kind of situations.

Yeah, I mean, you mentioned the cute thing is something, God, Iowa fans are all too familiar with, like I said, with Brian Ferencz. Defensively, I think it'll be interesting from an Iowa perspective with A.J. Paneza to see if they can break him loose. Do you feel like your offensive line is able to withhold A.J. Paneza? And how have they handled some of – I mean, in the past, what have they done to handle some of those big-time rushers? That's actually been one of the more consistent weak spots for Penn State

for a long time now. Going back to the sanction area that really hit the offensive line hard with the recruiting scholarships, they have taken some time to get it beefed back up a little bit, but it's still an offensive line that may be the best that James Franklin has had, but it still has a long way to go. And against some defenses, that can be a real issue. And we've seen that in games like against Ohio State,

where Ohio State's defensive line can really kind of rush them. Michigan has done the same thing. So it's been a tough matchup on the offensive line for Penn State in some of their bigger matchups, including this one. So I really feel like that's going to be a problem. You know, A.J.'s going to get his time in the backfield and bring some pressure on Sean Clifford. And that's why I said it's going to be interesting to see

how Clifford responds to that pressure because he hasn't really faced that yet. Yeah, I mean, you have A.J. Benezza, and later in the year you get Chase Young. I mean, it's going to be an interesting test, that offensive line. What questions do you have about Iowa? I think there's a lot of stuff I could cover. I want to see kind of what you're interested in hearing about Iowa. What is the concern with Nate Stanley coming into this game? Because I've looked at the stats,

and obviously we know what happened against Michigan last week, but I don't think he had no passing touchdowns against Iowa State, too. So I just look at the schedule. That's two power conference opponents in the last couple of games had no passing touchdowns against Iowa State, too. So I just look at the schedule. That's two power conference opponents in the last couple of games and no passing touchdowns. What's the story there? Is that something that's going to be a concern this weekend? A hundred percent, man.

Yeah. Okay. Nate Stanley has just not shown up in the most important games. If you need a big drive, we haven't seen it happen. important games. If you need a big drive, we haven't seen it happen. He just hasn't had that, that moment that solidifies him as a top quarterback in Iowa history. I mean, he's won big games, but it hasn't necessarily been because of him. I won't say every single time has been, you know,

because he was doing something poorly, although more often than not, he usually struggles pretty mightily in ranked games. But, yeah, I'm really interested to see what version of Nate Stanley comes out. He has a ton of potential. There's a reason why he's talked about as a potential day one, day two pick at quarterback because he's 6'4", 240 pounds. He can shake off blitzers like Ben Roethlisberger, and he has a cannon in an arm. But he can be wildly inaccurate his decision making can be kind of erratic and he's not very mobile so what you know

and then the other thing I said he just doesn't show up in big time games so I'm really interested to see what Nate Stanley comes out and responds with this week I haven't seen him play and have that oh my god performance against a ranked team. If he can come out the game and put two touchdowns on the board, honestly, I'll be shocked. I'll be really happy, but very shocked. Yeah, I think that's pretty fair. I guess the big question for me then is, do you trust this team to get to 20 points? Because Penn State's defense, like I said, hasn't necessarily been a challenge greatly,

but they have been playing really well. So what is the concern factor if this is a race of 20 points? Is that a game plan that you think favors Iowa, or do you think that that goes Penn State's way? Until last Saturday, I thought this favored Iowa, man. Last Saturday took out a lot of confidence for me because Michigan's game plan was just relentless pressure over and over and over again. If Penn State comes out and bringing a bunch of different blitz packages and whatnot,

it's going to be really interesting to see how Iowa responds. And I don't have the most confidence in them handling that. I'm assuming they're going to go back, look at the tape, see what Michigan did, put in some better protection into their play calling. But based off the way Michigan just attacked that defense, even Middle Tennessee State, I mean, they weren't getting a lot of pressure on Nate Stanley, but they were bringing a lot of guys, and the pocket was collapsing. So if Penn State can blitz a few extra guys or bring five or six consistently and get pressure, that's going to really concern me.

If they don't, if they play conservative, if they bring four guys and they drop the rest of their guys back, I feel very confident that this team could actually, you know, put up 20, 30 points against Penn State because the wide receiver group is the best Iowa has had, honestly, since I've started watching Iowa football. It's a very impressive group of guys who have a diverse skill set. So unless Penn State, you know, blitzes a bunch of guys who have a diverse skill set so unless Penn State you know blitzes a bunch of guys I do feel confident but if they are putting a bunch of guys and

trying to attack the line of scrimmage I do worry about how how Iowa's offense can function I do want to throw out one more thing I know that Iowa just lost a couple tight ends to the NFL you know how's the tight end situation going because it actually looks like Penn State might have the advantage of tight end in this matchup because that's not something that we have typically been able to say. Yeah, I don't think a lot of teams have usually been able to say that about Iowa. But this year, it's kind of an interesting situation because they don't have the talent of tight end they've had, but they also have a lot more talent at wide receiver. So I would say it's kind of a mix of they have wide receivers that they can actually get the ball to,

and they don't have that talent at tight end. I do think Penn State has that advantage. Nate Weeding is a great blocking tight end. Sean Beyer I think could be a good tight end, but they're just not getting the ball as much because if you're going to have a guy be a pass catcher, why not just have your top four wide receivers, Nika Reganey and Tyrone Tracy from the slot are pretty fantastic and for the most part, sure-handed. So you're absolutely right. The tight end position is not going to be

a position that Penn State needs to worry about this year. It's just, I would not worry about it at all. Yeah. And Penn State's got Nick Bowers and Pat Freemuth who are, they're both used in different ways. Pat's more of a scoring threat. And I think once they get inside the red zone, if they get to the red zone, or how often, that might be a guy they look forward to. Nick Bowers is probably a guy that can probably help move the ball downfield a little bit more. So it should be pretty interesting, my friend.

Yeah. I am – I'm excited. I'm ready to get back into the Iowa football and enjoy it again because that Michigan game really took a lot out of me, man. What are your thoughts on this game, though? Who do you think comes away with the victory? This one should be pretty concerning if you're a Penn State fan. I do think they find a way to escape somehow.

Like I said, it's going to be a low-scoring game. I do think that Penn State's defense is for real. And I think after watching the Iowa-Michigan game, I don't think Penn State's defense is going to be too out of their realm here. I think this is a game that they can do a lot of some of the things that Michigan did and be prepared for a defensive slugfest. It all just comes down to finding a way to make some points happen. And like you said earlier, I don't think you want to spend too many time settling for field goals. But if that has to be the way you win this game, you got to trust your kicker.

And I think at some point, it's going to come down to a field goal kick at some point late in the game in the fourth quarter. I couldn't agree more. Honestly, this would not surprise me if this game ends up being 10-7, 6-3. I mean, there's- Don't say it.

Don't say 6-4. There's been some nasty games in Penn State Iowa history, but you're absolutely right, man. If there's an over-under, if it's anything above 30, I'm 100% taking the under, man. This game is going to be low scoring. I think defense are going to battle. If I'm Penn State, I'm worried about where Geno Stone is at all times.

That kid has a chip on his shoulder, a Pennsylvania kid that he wants to show Penn State every single time they show up that they should regret not recruiting him. I think we're going to know, though, in the first quarter if this Iowa team is going to be able to pull it off. If they come out hungry, if they come out fighting, I feel pretty confident that Iowa is going to come away victorious. If they come out sluggish, it's going to be a long day at Kinnick, man, for Iowa.

Yeah, I think if you're Penn State, I think you just got to weather the storm early on. And if you can keep it within reach, you know, one score, maybe even two scores at the worst, you know, midway through the second quarter, and maybe you can get a lead score before halftime. I think that that actually bodes well for Penn State because they do play well in the second half,

and especially defense, they can make some adjustments. So, like I said, just keep it within reach going into halftime. And I think Penn state, like I said, we'll find a way out of there with a win, but it is not going to be easy. Yeah. I mean, you just got to survive that first quarter momentum, the enthusiasm of the crowd. If you can get past that, I think you're absolutely right. Penn state definitely has a chance, but Kevin, I absolutely appreciate, you know,

getting able to coordinate and have this, this show, any last things you want to bring up about Penn State or Iowa? Like I said, this is a huge start of the big three-game stretch for Penn State. And I've already mentioned that this is a real big game for Iowa because Wisconsin looks like they're pretty good in that division. And I'm still looking to see who's going to be the biggest threat there. I know the schedules are weird for those two teams too. So this is a huge game in cross division play.

And you know what? It's the best game in the Big Ten this weekend as far as I'm concerned. I don't think there's any question about that. So I think it should be a lot of fun. It should be very agonizing for both sides throughout most of the game. But I had a blast getting a chance to talk about the game with you, and hopefully we can do it again. Absolutely, man. Well, thanks again. I appreciate you joining the show and appreciate us being able to put together the first Locked On podcast crossover

between the Locked On Hawkeyes and Locked On Nittany Lions. Let's do this another time, and thank you again, Kevin. All right. Thanks a lot. All right, y'all. I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. Had a blast talking to Kevin. Really great to talk to someone who is an insider expert with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Nice to get some ideas about kind of what they're doing, what they've looked like. Obviously, I think the offense has some really great weapons. It'll be interesting to see how Iowa contains K.J. Hamler. In the past, we've seen Iowa, you know, they do a good job against Penn State,

except for one or two plays that really kind of throw them off. It's that Saquon Barkley incredible run. It's the, you know, it's, you know, it's the Trace McSorley 60 yard touchdown run and stuff like that that really kind of throws that game out of whack. So if they can contain him, I think they really have a good chance of winning this game. That will do it, though, for our Thursday morning episode of the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. That will do it, though, for our Thursday morning episode of the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast. We do have an episode coming out tomorrow as we cover the Big Ten schedule and give a preview of the entire Big Ten plus our Iowa versus Penn State predictions. I know you heard some of it today.

We're going to be talking about that a little bit more as well with Zach, the co-host of the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast. So, again, I appreciate you tuning in to the Locked on Hawkeyes podcast on today's show. Have a fantastic day, Hawkeye Nation, and go Hawks!