Conditioning drills paying off for Penn State

Published Oct. 10, 2011 6:38 a.m. ET

foxsports

Through the summer and into preseason camp, Penn State's coaches placed a renewed emphasis on running and conditioning drills.

Halfway through the season, that extra work is paying off.

Penn State finished strong in a 13-3 win Saturday over Iowa, forcing three fourth-quarter turnovers and turning up the blitz to end a three-game skid against the Hawkeyes.

Once again, relentless defense carried Penn State (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten).

''We were better physically. We kind of put our will on them,'' said defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who was especially proud of his unit given Iowa's own reputation for physical play.

It was the kind of confidence-building win sorely needed for a team that, for the most part, lacked an overall identity.

The offense has struggled all year. The defense has been consistently strong, but its domination of a team that had been first in the league in passing and second in scoring left an especially notable impression given Penn State is without top linebacker Michael Mauti for the season.

''It lets us know that we're very consistent,'' Mauti's replacement, Nate Stupar, said about how the defense can build on its performance. ''We're going to get turnovers and we're going to (get stops) and we are reliable.''

The physical play carried over to the other side of the ball, too.

Stymied again early by red zone woes that held Penn State to two 20-yard field goals, coach Joe Paterno can take heart after his maligned offensive line helped spring running backs for 231 yards rushing, including a career-high 142 for Silas Redd.

A ball-control game plan helped keep Penn State's defense refreshed while wearing down Iowa defenders, and it especially showed in the fourth quarter.

After Gerald Hodges' game-changing sack and forced fumble on Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg with about 14 minutes left, the Nittany Lions pounded away at Iowa with 10 straight runs to the 2 before Matt McGloin found Kevin Haplea for a touchdown pass with 8:08 left.

''I think our conditioning really helped us out in the end,'' right tackle Chima Okoli said. ''Being able to stay with them when everybody was wearing down, everybody was able to come together and put in the effort.

''Finishing strong'' is a phrase the Nittany Lions will need to keep harping on the rest of the way if they want to surprise the favorites in the Big Ten. Beating Iowa was crucial for their fortunes with a brutal four-game stretch to end the season looming in Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin.

First, though, there's a homecoming visit from Purdue next weekend.

''It is definitely a season-definer. It was a game where we showed what we can do,'' right guard DeOn'tae Pannell said. ''Teams are still going to criticize us, but we showed them we are not a team to sleep on.''