By Greg Pickel gpickel@pennlive.com
Penn State has survived its non-conference scheduled unbeaten.
Now, it's on to Big Ten play the rest of the way.
This year's conference slate kicks off at 5:30 p.m. at Iowa next Saturday, as head coach James Franklin will take his team on the road for the first time this season to play 3-0 Iowa at Kinnick Stadium.
At BetOnline, the Lions opened as a 14-point favorite, though it was immediately bet down to 12 and stayed there as of 6 p.m. Sunday night.
The Hawkeyes beat North Texas, 31-14, in Week 3, but potentially have a major issue as star tailback Akrum Wadley went out in the first half with a reported ankle injury and never returned, while backup James Butler injured his elbow in the third quarter and also never returned.
No immediate word was available regarding either player's status, but if one or both miss the game, it certainly could make Iowa one-dimensional and put the burden on quarterback Nate Stanley.
"Akrum tried to walk out without an ice bag, so sent him back in for that, but it doesn't look like anything serious," Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz told reporters on Saturday.
"He just didn't feel real confident in that second half. James, we'll have to see. I don't think it's anything overly -- I will probably know more Tuesday but I'm not overly concerned, but hopefully he will be okay."
Linebacker Josey Jewell continues to be the game changer that he's always been, and he will be in the crosshairs for Penn State's offensive line, but the injury news will be the key item to watch heading into game week.
For Penn State, it will be interesting to see whether end Torrence Brown, corner Amani Oruwariye, and/or guard Brendan Mahon are back in action. It's not a guarantee, but Franklin seemed to think they could suit up for the first conference test.
Penn State has survived its non-conference scheduled unbeaten.
Now, it's on to Big Ten play the rest of the way.
This year's conference slate kicks off at 5:30 p.m. at Iowa next Saturday, as head coach James Franklin will take his team on the road for the first time this season to play 3-0 Iowa at Kinnick Stadium.
At BetOnline, the Lions opened as a 14-point favorite, though it was immediately bet down to 12 and stayed there as of 6 p.m. Sunday night.
The Hawkeyes beat North Texas, 31-14, in Week 3, but potentially have a major issue as star tailback Akrum Wadley went out in the first half with a reported ankle injury and never returned, while backup James Butler injured his elbow in the third quarter and also never returned.
No immediate word was available regarding either player's status, but if one or both miss the game, it certainly could make Iowa one-dimensional and put the burden on quarterback Nate Stanley.
"Akrum tried to walk out without an ice bag, so sent him back in for that, but it doesn't look like anything serious," Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz told reporters on Saturday.
"He just didn't feel real confident in that second half. James, we'll have to see. I don't think it's anything overly -- I will probably know more Tuesday but I'm not overly concerned, but hopefully he will be okay."
Linebacker Josey Jewell continues to be the game changer that he's always been, and he will be in the crosshairs for Penn State's offensive line, but the injury news will be the key item to watch heading into game week.
For Penn State, it will be interesting to see whether end Torrence Brown, corner Amani Oruwariye, and/or guard Brendan Mahon are back in action. It's not a guarantee, but Franklin seemed to think they could suit up for the first conference test.
