Penn State football quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer will get his first college start at Iowa, in place of injured Drew Allar.

Smith, Penn State’s interim head coach, took over for James Franklin, who was fired Sunday after the Nittany Lions lost three straight games. He has just four practices to prepare Penn State for a trip to face the Hawkeyes at a sold-out Kinnick Stadium.

Penn State’s brutal October continues, and this time, it feels like rock bottom. Penn State's season began with high expectations. Starting 2025 ranked No. 2 in the AP Associated Press Top 25 poll, the Lions' season quickly unraveled.

Penn State football will be without its starting quarterback Drew Allar for the rest of the year after a season-ending injury. Here's more.

Let's start with the bad. Iowa gave some room to Penn State RB Kayton Allen, who got loose for 145 and two touchdowns against the Hawkeyes' defense. This isn't common for Iowa to surrender, so this needs to be tightened up.

The former Penn State head coach is a very polarizing figure in college football. His QB1certainly had his back.

The ceiling has fallen in on the Penn State football program, once ranked No. 2 in the country. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 10/1/2025).