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Penn State defense knows Iowa’s Akrum Wadley will be a handful
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The Penn State defense knows what it’s up against when it travels to Kinnick Stadium this weekend to face Iowa in the B1G opener.
Despite holding Akrum Wadley to just 28 yards on nine carries last season, the Nittany Lions are well aware of the damage the Hawkeyes running back can do.
Recently, some of the Penn State defenders talked about the upcoming game with Iowa and the troubles Wadley could potentially present.
“He’s a quick guy. He has speed, he’s big , he has nice vision,” linebacker Manny Bowen told 247Sports. “He’s going to be trying to find that hole, make that one cut and go. So we just have to limit him to what we give him and just suck the air out of all those plays and don’t give him the space or room that he’s looking for to make those explosive plays.”
Wadley certainly has shown off some of that explosiveness, especially in Iowa’s Week 2 win over Iowa State. Three games into the year, the Hawkeye running back has rushed for 258 yards and added 152 receiving yards to go with two total touchdowns.
Penn State’s defense has shut out two of its first three opponents and has allowed just 14 points on the season.
The Nittany Lions had no issue bottling up Wadley a season ago, but the defense knows if it doesn’t slow him down again this weekend, the Hawkeyes could pull off a huge upset for a second straight season.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB