Iowa becomes Penn State's new nemesis

FOR AN 11-year period from 1997 through 2007, many of Penn State's football-related nightmares came in hazy shades of maize and blue. The Michigan Wolverines won nine consecutive games against the Nittany Lions during that span, and might have further extended the streak were it not for the fact the schools didn't play in 2003 and '04.

Eventually, the Lions emerged from that long, dark tunnel by winning in 2008, the first of three curse-busting victories over Michigan. But now another ongoing nightmare has cast a pall over Nittany Nation, this one in hues of black and gold. Iowa (3-1), which takes on Penn State (4-1) Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium, has won eight of the last nine games in the series, in effect becoming the new Michigan.

"I'm aware of the fact Iowa has given us some good lickings," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said yesterday when asked about Iowa's recent domination of the increasingly intense Big Ten Conference rivalry, which now stands 12-11 in the Hawkeyes' favor. "There have been some close games, too. They beat us on a field goal on the last play of the game. A couple of years ago, they blocked a punt here, and they weren't trying to block it. We fell asleep, they blocked a punt, ran it in for a touchdown and beat us.

"But I want to give credit where credit is due. Iowa has had some good football teams. And I think [coach] Kirk [Ferentz] does a good job."

Ferentz, who grew up in western Pennsylvania, disputes the notion that his team has put "some good lickings" on the Lions. He said the only game resembling a rout that has occurred during the Hawkeyes' decade-long hot run - which began in 2000, Ferentz' second year at Iowa - came in 2007, when Penn State won, 27-7, in Happy Valley.

"They pounded us pretty good in 2007 and called off the dogs in the fourth quarter, fortunately," Ferentz recalled. "And if you go back to '99, they beat us pretty handily out here [a 31-7 Penn State victory]."

In between have been a bunch of nail-biters with the Hawkeyes finding a way to win, frequently as underdogs. Fans of both programs will never forget the 2008 contest, when Penn State - which went 11-1 in the regular season and secured a berth in the Rose Bowl - brought a third-ranked, 9-0 team to Iowa City and left with a 24-23 loss, the deciding points coming on a 31-yard field goal with a single second remaining. The Lions blew a 23-14 fourth-quarter lead, and Iowa's game-winning drive came after a pass-interference call that gave Iowa new life on a third-and-15 play.

Penn State's leading receiver, fifth-year senior Derek Moye, vividly recalls every detail.

"To lose in the fashion that we did was heartbreaking. It's one of the biggest losses in recent Penn State history," Moye said. "If we had won, we had a very good chance of going to the [BCS] national championship game."

Sophomore linebacker Glenn Carson hasn't been involved in as many games against Iowa as some of his teammates, but last season's 24-3 road thrashing is enough to make him want some payback.

"If we didn't understand the history against Iowa, last year's game there reminded us," Carson said. "The stands were really close [to the field] so we could hear the Iowa fans heckling us. They were yelling things like, 'Raise your hand if you ever beat Iowa.' It was definitely a hostile crowd."

Carson described Iowa as a "wrestling" school and Penn State as a "football" school, then noted that Penn State is the defending national champion in wrestling. Beating the Hawkeyes in football, he said, would help reestablish what he and his teammates consider the natural order of things.

Former Penn State fullback Steve Smith, one of the captains of the 1986 national championship team, is afflicted with Lou Gehrig's disease. He is bedridden at his Richardson, Texas, home and no longer can talk or walk. Members of the 1986 squad will gather for a reunion at Saturday's game against Iowa and are asking the public to assist the Smith family in keeping up with mounting bills. Those wishing to help can go to www.stevesmithfund.org to make online donations. They can also call 1-800-242-0335, or text STEVE (space) PLEDGE AMOUNT (space) YOUR NAME to 95495 to pledge a donation via cellphone.