Penn State loses interim's debut, 0-4 in Big Ten

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Even aft a alteration astatine the top, it was the aforesaid effect for Penn State, which suffered its 4th consecutive nonaccomplishment connected Saturday.

After firing James Franklin earlier successful the week, the Nittany Lions, playing their archetypal crippled nether interim manager Terry Smith, blew a fourth-quarter pb against Iowa to suffer 25-24 and autumn to 3-4 connected the play -- and 0-4 successful the Big Ten.

And a sojourn to No. 1 Ohio State is adjacent connected the schedule, aft a bye week.

Iowa backmost Mark Gronowski rushed for a career-high 130 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Kaden Wetjen scored the go-ahead touchdown connected an 8-yard tally with 3:54 remaining successful the crippled for the Hawkeyes (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten).

The four-game losing streak is tied for the longest successful AP canvass past by a squad that was ranked top-2 successful the archetypal canvass of the season. The erstwhile squad to bash it was 1961 Iowa, which was AP No. 1 successful the preseason and started 4-0 earlier losing 4 successful a row.

Iowa trailed 24-19 with 4:56 to play aft Penn State's Ryan Barker kicked a 32-yard tract goal, but Gronowski ran 67 yards connected the archetypal play aft the ensuing kickoff, mounting up Wetjen's tally 1 play later. Gronowski missed connected the two-point conversion pass, giving the Nittany Lions a accidental to instrumentality the lead.

Iowa's defence past stopped Penn State adjacent midfield, blitzing backmost Ethan Grunkemeyer connected 4th down astatine the Penn State 49 and forcing an incomplete pass.

Gronowski past clinched the triumph with a 14-yard tally connected 3rd down that allowed the Hawkeyes to tally retired the clock.

Gronowski had a 1-yard touchdown tally precocious successful the archetypal half, past added a 4-yard touchdown tally successful the 3rd 4th that got the Hawkeyes to wrong 21-16.

Kaytron Allen rushed for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns for Penn State.

The Nittany Lions led 14-10 astatine halftime aft Iowa kicker Drew Stevens had his 66-yard field-goal effort with six seconds near blocked by Xavier Gilliam. Elliot Washington II picked up the escaped shot and ran 35 yards for the touchdown.

Grunkemeyer struggled astatine times, throwing 2 interceptions, 1 to Xavier Nwankpa that helium returned to the Penn State 1-yard line, mounting up Gronowski's archetypal touchdown.

Penn State past mislaid 4 games successful a enactment during the 2020 season, which they started 0-5. It is the 4th 0-4 commencement successful the Big Ten for the Nittany Lions since joining the league successful 1993.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.