PSU-Iowa: Live commentary - stream of consciousness

Go Lions!

1st quarter

• 15:00 - If this is JoePa's last season (and RFBS maintains that it is) then it would be nice for him to receive that rarest of gifts, a win over Iowa. Losing 9 of 10 to Iowa is no way for the game's greatest-ever coach to go out.
• 15:00 - So I guess we're delayed because of the OU-Texas game? Crazy - that game was decided hours ago.
• 15:00 - Urban Meyer calling the game. Is he getting a look at his team for next season?
• 14:50 - Iowa going no huddle, hurry-up, shotgun
• 13:30 - Astorino whiffed on tackle that would have gotten 3-and-out, now PSU on heels. Huge play. Kept D on field too long, hurt field position.
• 10:18 - Adrian Amos on the field early.
• 10:12 - Bad field position to start for shaky offense. What will Galen call?
• 9:45 - a 2nd-and-long run call? shocking! Redd popped it nicely for FD.
• 9:25 - Bolden continues to be inept on screen passes.
• 9:00 - Did ESPN really just highlight Devon Smith as an impact player? Geez.
• 7:40 - Suhey great concentration on his two catches 
• 6:30 - deflection off umpire one of luckiest plays ever - it must be our day!
• 5:30 - brutal personal foul penalty by Szczerba. Inexcusable.
• 5:10 - Dukes great complement to Redd. Apparently he's still No. 2 RB over Beachum.
• 3:30 - Another horrendous pass by Bolden. Wow he looks bad. Announcer Chris Spielman ripping him. Said he was awful in practice too.
• 3:26 - Fake FG works? Amazing! No wonder Lewis was in there.
• 2:21 - Meyer says Bolden is so off he (Meyer) wouldn't even throw the ball on 3rd down and goal from 6.
• 2:00 - How about a play-action rollout Galen?  1st, 2nd and 3rd down would have been good to call it.
• 1:36 - getting 3 points in that situation typifies the PSU offense. The football Gods guided PSU to the 8-yard line and the Nits could do nothing from there. Terrible QB play. Bolden has never looked worse in his passing. Time for McGloin. who hopefully is the lesser of two evils today. Bolden used to be so crisp on medium range passes when he had time. What happened?
• 1:00 - sideline guy confirms Amos started, Morris dressed, Lynn out.
• 0:01 - Looks like Glenn Carson's "wrestling school" comments are having an impact on the game. Kidding.
• 0:00 - 3-0 PSU.

2nd quarter

• 14:30 - Iowa nickel-and-dime pass attack effective thus far. Iowa OLs look good at holding on pass protection w/o getting called for it.
• 12:47 - PSU defense not sharp. Now Stupar down.
• 11:52 - lucky break: dropped TD and false start backs up Iowa off goal line.
• 10:51 - Iowa FG good, 3-3.
• 10:51 - PSU defense disappointing so far. Need to tighten up. Historcally, the opposite happens vs. Iowa - things loosen up as game goes along.
• 10:51 - RFBS has never said this before, but we need McGloin the rest of the way. Bolden was awful. The running game and play-action rollouts the key to the PSU offense the rest of the way. Keep the FBs involved.
• 10:40 - Devon Smith drops the kickoff, near turnover. He needs to take a seat on the bench. Wake up, coaches - Smith is not a good football player. Use sparingly.
• 10:40 - McGloin confident right out of the gate. Hopefully not too confident.
• 9:30 - Justin Brown showing off his hands!
• 7:35 - Moye great concentration in traffic. PSU offense continues to live dangerously.
• 7:00 - And that's why Suhey (and Zordich) need to be involved - great catch and run by Suhey, 1st and goal.
• 5:02 - Another missed TD opportunity on 1st-and-goal. It's a pattern destined to cost PSU the game. Inexcusable, especially against mediocre Iowa defense. FG good, 6-3 PSU.
• 4:52 - in every replay of the Iowa OL and PSU DL, you see Iowa OLs holding and not getting called. Sour grapes? Watch it yourself.
• 4:44 - Bradley calls rare blitz, Iowa just misses completion, has to punt. LB Gerald Hodges clearly has a pass rush and blitzing knack.
• 3:10 - Devon Smith on underneath delayed crossing routes - one of the few good ways to use him. Nice gain.
• 2:50 - announcers seem to be confusing bobbled passes that are caught with passes tipped by the defense that are caught. Not the same thing.
• 2:25 - Stephfon Green lives. Catches screen pass for no gain.
• 1:42 - ANOTHER PSU punt into end zone. Been an epidemic this year. Atrocious.
• 0:54 - Very surprised that Iowa w/two TOs and 1:42 left would not try to score considering how effective its short passing game has been. PSU calls TO before 3rd down with 54 secs to go. Oops - ESPN misses 3rd down play while on commercial, Iowa runs on 3rd and 5 and gets first down
• 0:17 - Now Iowa trying to score. Crazy.
• 0:06 - Sack by Khairi Fortt ends half. Nice work by Khairi Fortt to stick with play as Iowa QB Vandenberg scrambld around.

Halftime

• Halftime, 6-3 PSU, no TDs in first half, only 6 possessions total. 
• JoePa asked about red zone offense, says: "We haven't been very effective. That's about the only way to describe it."
• Who will line up at QB for PSU to start second half? So far this season PSU always has gone back to Bolden to star second half. But he was so bad on that looooooooong opening series, the Nits have to go with McGloin. Right?
• PSU to get ball to open second half. Hopefully Devon Smith won't drop the kickoff.

3rd quarter

• And the PSU QB is ... McGloin. They had to.
• No TDs in last seven red zone trips for PSU, announcers say.
• 12:50 - McGloin needs to stop backpedaling while throwing and locking in on his target. PSU punting.
• 12:39 - No problem with Fera hitting that punt into end zone - it went 58 yards.
• 12:30 - Urban Meyer says his wife and Sue Paterno are good friends. More fuel to the Meyer-to-PSU fire.
• 11:53 - Iowa 3-and-out, as Bradley blitzes on 2nd and 3rd and 5. It's the new Tom Bradley. 11 years of sitting back against Iowa didn't work, I guess.
• 11:50 - Bolden again? No. Just stick with McGloin today. Too late, it's Bolden. Bolden gets hit on 3rd down and floats one up, luck not to be picked.
• 10:12 - Nick Sukay had the game-changing play on his fingertips but couldn't scoop up the muffed punt. sigh.
• 10:00 - Meyer says, when the crowd gets loud, "this is how I envision this stadium.'' He's definitely coming next season  :-)
• 7:33 - Incredible - I think they called a hold on Iowa! NOPE, false alarm - illegal hands to the face on a PSU DL. Of course. 
• 6:53 - Drew Astorino declines to make Pick 6 that would have put Nits in driver's seat. Maddening. Subsequent Iowa punt pins PSU on goal line. Like seemingly every loss to Iowa, if this one happens there will be no shortage of "what ifs"
• 6:45 - and now at QB ... McGloin
• 4:00 - McGloin and Redd and the OLine and Dukes into the red zone.
• 2:05 - whatever happened to the high ball to Moye near the end zone???!!!!
• 1:58 - 3rd and 5 from Iowa 6. Galen, whaddya got? Hopefully not another FG. Give Moye a chance.
• 1:42 - McGloin underthrows Moye by 5 yards, and it is intercepted. Absolutely awful QB play. CAN NOT TURN IT OVER THERE! How could McGloin be so careless? He just gave Iowa a shot of adrenaline.
• 0:30 - Looks like 2008 and 2009 all over again ... Iowa crosses midfield as Bradley goes to the blitz too often/again on 3rd down and pays for it. Iowa seeing it coming.
• Three trips to the red zone, three times inside the 10, and 6 points on the scoreboard. Really?!?
• End 3Q - PSU 6, Iowa 3.

4th quarter

• 14:20 - Gerald Hodges is the best blitzer PSU has had in a looooong time.!! Blitz getting better.
• 8:30 - well wasn't that pretty? The OL and RBs pound it down the field for a TD. Only pass of the drive for the TD to Kevin Haplea. Amen! 13-3 PSU
• 9:45 - that was NOT a hold on Michael Zordich, but they called it (and another hold on the OL on the same play that we couldn't see, didn't have a good reply on that) to negate Redd's initial TD run. Great to see PSU overcome that adversity. Especially after the nightmare-inducing McGloin int. the last time in the red zone.
• 6:53 - Malcolm Willis, who has been in on the nickel package all day, jumps the route on 4th down at midfield and picks off Vandenberg. Can PSU run out the clock ....
• 4:32 - Of course not. Lions punt, keep the defense under duress. This isn't over yet. Iowa has three timeouts and plenty of time.
• 3:42 - Stupar tips it, Sukay picks it, The Curse is dead!
• 3:18 - FERA! PLEASE STOP PUNTING INTO THE END ZONE! ... and the curse hangs on to a few final breaths.
• 3:00 - only at PSU does the defense have to finish off the win on four possessions. But they're doing it.
• Love for the defense! The Iowa Curse is Dead! PSU wins 13-3.
• 13-3? Sounds like a wrestling score ... :-)