Thursday October 7th Local Sports

IOWA CITY — An improving Iowa offense faces a difficult test when the 3rd-ranked Hawkeyes host 4th-ranked Penn State on Saturday. The Nittany Lion defense ranks second in the Big Ten by giving up just 12 points per game. Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras says it is a more veteran unit than the Hawkeyes faced in a 41-21 win in State College last year.

Penn State has not lost since falling to the Hawkeyes last year.

Junior tight end Sam LaPorta says the Hawkeye offense is gaining confidence after a lopsided win at Maryland.

Junior center Tyler Linderbaum says he enjoys getting ready for a game of this magnitude.

Penn State coach James Franklin says Iowa has been consistently outstanding on defense.

Franklin says the Iowa defense is designed to take advantage of mistakes and it will be critical for the Nittany Lions to protect the football.

Kickoff at Kinnick Stadium is scheduled for shortly after 3 o’clock with the pre-game show starting at 1 o’clock on AM-1300 KGLO.

 

 

 

MASON CITY — NIACC has a new softball coach. Matt Egger was introduced on Wednesday as the new head of the program. He was an assistant softball coach at the University of Northern Iowa from 2012-2017 and was the head coach at Ellsworth from 2009-2012. At Ellsworth, Egger’s teams had 19 all-region student-athletes, 17 academic all-region players and one National Junior College Athletic Association All-American.

 

 

 

NORFOLK, NEBRASKA — The NIACC volleyball teams split a pair of matches on Wednesday in Norfolk Nebraska. NIACC was swept by Northeast Community College in an Iowa Community College Athletic Conference match 25-16, 25-21, and 25-14. The Trojans then beat North Platte Community College 25-22, 25-13, 25-13. NIACC was led by Grace Tobin who had 30 kills, 21 digs, four aces and two blocks. Samantha Coron had 40 assists, 19 digs, five kills and two aces. NIACC returns to action next Wednesday hosting Ellsworth on Sophomore Night.

 

MASON CITY — Grace Tobin for the second time this season has been named the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Division II offensive player of the week for the week of September 27th through October 3rd. She accumulated 87 kills in four matches. She matched her career-high with 27 kills in a win over Ellsworth at the DMACC tournament. Tobin ranks second nationally in Division II with 484 kills, and leads the conference in kills and kills per set. Tobin won the weekly conference honors for the week of September 6th through the 12th this season and February 8th through the 14th last season.

 

 

 

AMES — Iowa State basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger has been preaching effort heading into his first season as coach. Otzelberger took over an ISU program that plunged to the bottom of the Big 12 and finished winless in conference play last season.

Otzelberger wants the Cyclones to become more physical.

Otzelberger says redshirt freshman center Xavier Foster is not practicing right now. The Oskaloosa native missed most of last season with a foot injury.

Otzelberger says expansion could make the Big 12 even better in basketball. BYU, Houston, Cincinnati and Central Florida will replace the departing Oklahoma and Texas.

The Cyclones will open the season at home against Kennesaw State on November 9th.