Penn State is a CFP contender, Lions' defense continues to roll, and more of what they're saying

Penn State football is receiving praise locally and nationally after dominating Iowa 31-0 on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

“We won the third down battle, we won the sack battle,” James Franklin said. “Again, our defensive line is doing a great job, we had three sacks and a ton of pressures. Not a whole lot of people talk about our offensive line, they did not give up any sacks; that’s huge as well. We tied the penalty battle in terms of number, but not yards. We lost it in yards. Then in the field position battle, their punter dominated that stat, so there’s some quick facts for you. But again, I appreciate everybody coming out in a less than ideal weather situation, which also magnifies our ball security.”

Here is a look at what is being said about the win locally and nationally.

Penn State is a CFP contender

That’s the take from Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports, who wrote takeaways from the Lions’ big victory.

“All of the talk in the Big Ten centers around Michigan and Ohio State,” Sallee writes. “After all, those are the two teams that are consistently in the College Football Playoff discussion in mid-to-late November. It’s time to add Penn State into that mix. The offensive success is a big part of the equation, but the defense has been rock solid so far. The Nittany Lions entered the weekend tied for third in the nation in turnover margin at +7 and increased that number to +11 against the woeful Hawkeyes.

“Penn State is built like the Michigan teams of the last few years and the Georgia teams that utterly dominated and outmanned opponents. That’s not to say that the Nittany Lions are better or more talented than those squads. They have the same kind of identity, though, and they know that it works.”

Read the full story here.

Penn State continues to roll on defense

This is the angle beat writer Bob Flounders took for PennLive, and also added some historical context. Manny Diaz has been terrific during his tenure as the Nittany Lions defensive coordinator. He and his unit were again outstanding on Saturday night.

“Consider this: Penn State has allowed 35 total points in four games and just 14 points in the second halves of the game,” Flounders writes. “Both the touchdowns the Lions allowed after halftime – to West Virginia and Illinois – occurred late in the fourth quarter with PSU playing its backups.

“The 2005 defense that featured Paul Posluszny and Tamba Hali and Alan Zemaitis allowed a total of 69 points in its first four games, wins over South Florida, Cincinnati, Central Michigan and Northwestern.”

Read the full story here.

Lions look like a team you’ve been waiting to see

This is how Statecollege.com’s Ben Jones recapped the victory in his postgame column.

“If Penn State is going to make something of this growing win total, it will do so by getting increasingly good at making a meal out of the teams that it should,” Jones writes. “Saturday night was a step in that direction and a more emphatic one than the convincing-but-not-sexy win it had over Illinois the week prior. For now, that menu immediately includes Northwestern next weekend and UMass the following before the Nittany Lions look to finally come out of an off week and not lose a step. A date with Ohio State on the other side of that break should offer little reason for Penn State to hit a lull, but the Nittany Lions’ have not always benefited from the off week. A story for another day.

“The next few weeks may not pose the same challenge as Iowa potentially could have, but given the opportunity to reassure everyone that the team they were hoping to see was there to be had, Penn State did just that. And there’s a victory in that for James Franklin too.”

Read the full story here.

Grinding it out”

That was one of BWI beat writer Nate Bauer’s three post game reactions. The Lions took what Iowa gave them, which was plenty, en route to a dominating performance.

“Patient, mature, and fundamentally sound in all three phases of the game, Penn State delivered to Iowa what Iowa delivers to every other opponent it faces,” Bauer writes. “Penn State went for and converted four fourth-down looks. The Nittany Lions averaged just 3.8 yards per carry and 7 yards per completion but did so to the tune of 397 total yards of offense.

“A master class in body blows, Penn State repeatedly put Iowa in a disadvantageous position. It meant no single shot was necessary for the knockout.”

Read the full story here.

In his own impressions piece, BWI’s Sean Fitz says Penn State beat Iowa at its own game.

“Penn State went out on Saturday night and out-Iowa’d Iowa,” Fitz writes.

“The Nittany Lions ran the ball 57 times. Conditions played into the playcalling, sure, but Mike Yurcich spent Saturday night wearing down the Hawkeyes defense by keeping them on the field. The Nittany Lions more than controlled the game. They had the ball for 45:27 on the night — that’s over three quarters of possession. Penn State ran 15 more plays in the first half than Iowa ran all night.”

Read the full story here.