College Football Rankings: B / R Top 25 After Week 6 | Launderer report

A quarterback in Penn State in Iowa, the Nittany Lions clearly looked like the top team.

Sean Clifford threw a brutal interception in Penn State’s first offensive shot, installing Iowa at PSU 8. But the defense sank on their heels, forced a field goal and the offense rebounded with vengeance. The Nittany Lions covered 75 yards for a touchdown in their subsequent possession, threw an interception into the end zone in the next practice and scored a second touchdown shortly thereafter.

Less than 18 minutes into the game, Penn State was leading 17-3 and already totaled 193 yards of attack against one of the most stingy defenses in the country.

Sadly, in the penultimate play of this placement campaign, Clifford took a hit with an incomplete pass and suffered an undisclosed injury that kept him out for the remainder of the game.

And that’s when Penn State’s O-line began to collapse on itself like a dying star.

In the first possession after Clifford’s injury, substitute Ta’Quan Roberson missed (and recovered) the first snap, followed by the Nittany Lions committing three consecutive false start penalties. They didn’t commit a single penalty in that first 18 minutes, but they ended up with eight false starts when all was said and done.

Even when they were able to slam the ball without moving first, the O-line was relatively helpless against the pressure from Iowa. The Nittany Lions only allowed one sack, but Roberson was in a constant state of running for his life. And while it did have a few struggles for the first downs, Penn State only managed 60 rushing yards on 25 carries in the final 42 minutes (while Roberson crossed 7 of 21 in the air for 34 yards and a pair of interceptions).

So to recap, 193 yards and 17 points in the first 18 minutes; 94 yards, three runs and all the false starts in the last 42 minutes.

It’s tough to lose your starting QB in the middle of a game and have to turn to a guy with eight career passing attempts in the last two or more seasons. To do so as a road team in a night game at Kinnick Stadium against an elite defense and a Top 5 from Iowa is fundamentally impossible. But the offensive line didn’t do Roberson any favors.

For what it’s worth, this wasn’t a new problem for Penn State, which had allowed 37 tackles for a loss in its first five games. In the first possession of its season, Penn State suffered a one-yard loss in a rush, made a false start and allowed Clifford to be sacked in a three-and-out streak.

When Clifford was on the pitch, however, they managed to overcome this problem. Now let’s wait to find out how long he will be away.

The Nittany Lions are inactive next week and host Illinois the following weekend, so as long as it’s not too bad and he’s back for the Oct. 30 clash with Ohio State, he There’s still a chance they’ll win the Big Ten.

Iowa, meanwhile, is now entering an unbeaten season in the face with six games to go against unranked enemies Big Ten West. Road games against Wisconsin and Nebraska won’t be easy, but with a D who has now collected 16 assists in six games, the Hawkeyes should at least advance to the Big Ten title game with an egg. goose in the defeat column.