Hodges induces fumble to help Penn State win

Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa.

Every blitz call into the defensive huddle had Penn State linebacker Gerald Hodges eager with anticipation.

Clinging to a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, Hodges and the rest of the Nittany Lions turned up the pressure to throttle Iowa’s best-in-the-Big Ten passing attack.

Hodges forced a momentum-swinging fumble that set up Matt McGloin’s fourth-quarter touchdown pass, and Silas Redd ran for 142 yards Saturday to help Penn State pound the Hawkeyes 13-3.

“Every time we got a blitz [call] were on the field ’cheesing’ because you knew it was just another opportunity to make a good play,” Hodges said before being interrupted to give the definition of “cheesing.”

“I mean we were out there smiling,” he said with a grin. “We knew it was another chance to make a play out there on the blitz.”

Did they ever — five sacks total on the afternoon, including three consecutive blows on battered Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg in the fourth quarter to push the Hawkeyes to a 4th-and-39 on their own 1.

Iowa’s three-game winning streak against Penn State (5-1, 2-0) came to a halt, and the Hawkeyes (3-2, 0-1) lost their conference opener after an open week.

The Hawkeyes’ no-huddle scheme was a no-go in Happy Valley.

They were held to 253 yards of total offense, 168 below their season average. The only points came off Mike Meyer’s 23-yard field goal in the second quarter after averaging nearly 38 points coming into Saturday.

“They definitely picked it up during the second half. We were never just able to bust a big play on them,” Vandenberg said about Linebacker U. He finished 17 of 34 passing for 169 yards and two fourth-quarter interceptions to go with his late fumble.

As was the case the previous two weeks, Joe Paterno coached the first half from the sideline before retreating to the press box after halftime. The 84-year-old Hall of Famer is getting over a sore right shoulder and pelvis suffered when receiver Devon Smith accidentally ran into him at practice Aug. 7.

Paterno said he nearly got run over again at one point Saturday, and his sidestepping moves left him sore.

“I don’t want those kids looking around to see where I am,” Paterno said. “So I told them at halftime, you guys are doing all right, let’s turn it up a notch and [I’ll ] get out of here and out of your hair.”

Anthony Fera’s two first-half field goals made up for more early red-zone hiccups for Penn State, which again rotated McGloin and Rob Bolden at quarterback with middling results.