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Penn St. Nittany Lions (5-0; 2-0 Big Ten East) vs Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1; 1-1 Big Ten West)
7:30 p.m. ET, October 12, 2019--ABC
Kinnick Stadium (Capacity: 70,585 / Iowa City, IA)
| Penn State | Value (Nat'l Rank) | Value (Nat'l Rank) | Iowa | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing Offense (ypg) | 194.0 (43) | 85.6 (11) | Rushing Defense (ypg) |  |
| Passing Offense (ypg) | 305.6 (19) | 168.6 (12) | Passing Defense (ypg) | Push |
| Pass Efficiency | 171.68 (14) | 111.98 (23) | Pass Efficiency Defense | Push |
| Total Offense (ypg) | 499.6 (12) | 254.2 (5) | Total Defense (ypg) | Push |
| Scoring Offense (ppg) | 47.0 (T - 5) | 8.8 (3) | Scoring Defense (ppg) | Push |
| Rushing Defense (ypg) | 50.6 (3) | 174.2 (54) | Rushing Offense (ypg) |
 |
| Passing Defense (ypg) | 189.8 (29) | 250.0 (T - 57) | Passing Offense (ypg) |
|
| Pass Efficiency Defense | 107.84 (14) | 135.53 (70) | Pass Efficiency |
|
| Total Defense (ypg) | 240.4 (4) | 424.2 (62) | Total Offense (ypg) |
|
| Scoring Defense (ppg) | 7.4 (2) | 27.4 (81) | Scoring Offense (ppg) |
|
| Punt Return Defense (ypr) | 3.00 (24) | 10.67 (41) | Punt Return Yds | Push |
| Punt Return Yds | 7.11 (76) | 11.5 (101) | Punt Return Defense (ypr) | |
| Net Punting Yds | 37.05 (83) | 38.65 (58) | Net Punting Yds | |
| Kickoff Return Yds | 14.33 (125) | 16.43 (18) | Kickoff Return Defense |
|
| Kickoff Return Defense | 19.75 (55) | 22.2 (51) | Kickoff Return Yds | Push |
| Turnover Margin | +0.20 (T - 52) | +.40 (T - 43) | Turnover Margin | Push |
| Passes Had Intercepted | 2 (T - 18) | 4 (T - 66) | Passes Intercepted | |
| Passes Intercepted | 4 (T - 66) | 3 (T - 38) | Passes Had Intercepted | |
| Penalty Yds/Game | 45.00 (24) | 32.80 (4) | Penalty Yds/Game | Push |
| Sacks | 5.00 (1) | 2.80 (T - 104) | Sacks Allowed |
|
| Sacks Allowed | 1.40 (T - 28) | 1.40 (T - 107) | Sacks |
|
| Tackles for Loss (tpg) | 10.4 (1) | 5.60 (56) | Tackles for Loss Allowed (tpg) |
|
| Tackles for Loss Allowed (tpg) | 6.20 (73) | 3.00 (T - 129) | Tackles for Loss (tpg) |
|
| Redzone Offense (%) | 95.7% (T - 8) | 83.3% (T - 71) | Redzone Defense (%) |
|
| Redzone Defense (%) | 77.8% (T - 44) | 100.0% (T - 1) | Redzone Offense (%) | |
| Redzone TD % | 78.26% | 50.00% | Redzone TD % Defense | Push |
| Redzone TD % Defense | 44.44% | 72.22% | Redzone TD % | |
| 3rd Down Conv. % | 41.4% (50) | 25.0% (6) | 3rd Down Defense % | |
| 3rd Down Defense % | 25.3% (7) | 46.8% (20) | 3rd Down Conv. % | Push |
| 4th Down Conv. % | 83.3% (T - 11) | 50.0% (T - 61) | 4th Down Defense % |
|
| 4th Down Defense % | 40.0% (T - 39) | 63.6% (T - 37) | 4th Down Conv. % | Push |
| 1st Downs | 120 (T - 39) | 61 (T - 3) | 1st Downs Allowed |
|
| 1st Downs Allowed | 65 (6) | 115 (T - 58) | 1st Downs |
|
| Time of Possession | 28:37 (95) | 35:41 (2) | Time of Possession |
|
Difference >25 in National Rank =
Difference >50 in National Rank =
Difference >75 in National Rank =
Difference >100 in National Rank =
Note:
All of the above rankings are taken directly from the NCAA except for strength of schedule, which is not as readily available this year and so I’ve removed it for the time being from these statistics.
The Redzone TD% and Redzone TD% Defense are calculated by me and not ranked by the NCAA. Determining who has the advantage in these categories is strictly my arbitrary judgment.
Quick thoughts:
This is about what I’d expect; both Penn State and Iowa have really good defenses so far this year. The difference is, of course, that Iowa’s offense is decidedly mediocre (and, numbers-wise, not as good as Purdue’s, although the Boilermakers were down to 2nd string playmakers last week) - and Penn State’s is good.
In terms of unquantifiable tangibles, both teams have had only four punts returned - though Iowa has attempted to return 9 punts, while Penn State’s returned 19. Still on special teams, Iowa’s allowed 7 kick offs to be returned, while PSU’s only had 4 not be fair caught; the two teams seem well-matched in terms of kickoffs returned by their playmakers, though.
The other metric I found interesting were redzone trips - Iowa’s defense has only had to play in their opponent’s redzone 6 times (I see you, Josh Gattis!), while Penn State’s defense has faced 9 redzone trips. PSU’s offense has been in their own red zone 5 more times than Iowas as well (23 to 18).
What say you all?