Here’s what you should keep an eye on in the Penn State-Iowa football game

Penn State’s nonconference slate is over, and the Nittany Lions are focused on Iowa, Iowa Iowa, Iowa and Iowa.

The Nittany Lions, who opened as 13-point favorites, own a 14-12 series lead over the Hawkeyes and have won the last three matchups.

We’ll see if Penn State can make it four in a row. Here are five things to keep an eye on:

Hawkeyes’ history

If the past holds any weight into what will happen Saturday night, the Nittany Lions could be in trouble.

Iowa has won four of the last five meetings when Penn State has entered the game ranked. Obviously, the Nittany Lions routed the Hawkeyes 41-14 last season. But prior to that, it was all Iowa with wins in 2002, 2008, 2009 and 2010 when Penn State was ranked Nos. 12, 3, 5 and 22, respectively.

The 2008 loss killed Penn State’s national championship hopes; Michigan suffered a similar fate last season, falling at Kinnick 14-13 when it was 9-0 and third in the country.

Iowa has actually won four straight home night games: the Michigan game, along with victories over Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Iowa State. The Hawkeyes have also came out ahead in five consecutive Big Ten openers.

What happened in 2008 and even 2016 to Michigan won’t have a direct effect on the 2017 Nittany Lions. But the precedent for a Penn State loss is there.

Hamilton’s history

With three catches in each of his first three games this season, DaeSean Hamilton is just 10 catches away from surpassing Deon Butler as Penn State’s all-time record holder in receptions.

Hamilton setting a new benchmark is a matter of when, not if. Despite consistent dips in production — 82, 45 and 34 catches in 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively — it’s a foregone conclusion that the wideout will make history.

Hamilton can make a serious dent in that 10-catch threshold at Iowa, setting him up to break the record at home against Indiana on Sept. 30.

The odds are stacked against Hamilton to actually pass Butler against the Hawkeyes. Hamilton’s had only two double-digit reception games in his career, both coming his redshirt freshman season. Plus, Penn State hasn’t had a double-digit pass-catcher in its 16 games under offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead. Chris Godwin came close with nine catches in the Rose Bowl.

It’s well-known that Moorhead’s offense takes what the defense gives them; Trace McSorley isn’t going to force-feed a target.

But Hamilton’s ability to break out combined with Iowa’s shaky secondary — the 74th-worst pass defense — should give the senior a reasonable shot to break the record at home next weekend.

TOP

As expected, there’s a stark contrast in time of possession when it comes to Penn State and Iowa.

The Nittany Lions average 24 minutes, 7 seconds of possession per game this season — the nation’s fifth-lowest mark. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes average 35:35 per game — sixth-highest in college football.

The massive difference here isn’t a surprise; Moorhead’s offense leads to quick strikes and quicker drives, while Kirk Ferentz’s squads bleed the clock with the best.

This game is set up to be a repeat of Penn State’s Week 2 tilt against Pitt in terms of possession. The Panthers ran the ball 45 times and chewed up 39 minutes of clock. The Nittany Lions used only 21 minutes and averaged 6.0 yards per play.

Third down ‘D’

It largely hasn’t mattered; Penn State owns a 14-3 record and has averaged 39.2 points per game since Moorhead arrived. But the Nittany Lions’ offense still hasn’t looked great on third down, and that could be a problem at Kinnick Stadium.

After three games, Iowa’s defense ranks second in the Big Ten and 11th in the country in third down conversion defense by allowing opponents only a 23.7 percent success rate.

On the flip side, Penn State has converted 11 of 30 third-down chances this season — a 36.7 percent success rate that ranks 92nd in the country.

This isn’t a new issue, either. The Nittany Lions converted only 32.6 percent of their third downs in 2016 with a 32.1 percent clip in seven games away from home.

The Wave

In a new tradition that started during Iowa’s opener, fans at Kinnick Stadium exchange waves with patients and families inside the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Talk about something that’d make even the Grinch smile.

Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and the ABC broadcast will surely bring it up and show clips of it, but this is just a friendly reminder.

If you’re at home, pay attention to your TV when the first stanza wraps up.

If you’re traveling to the game, wait until halftime to use the bathroom.

You won’t want to miss a really cool moment.

This story was originally published September 22, 2017 at 4:33 AM with the headline "Here’s what you should keep an eye on in the Penn State-Iowa football game."