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IOWA CITY, Iowa (Ticker) -- Eddie Drummond and Eric McCoo scored on long runs and Aaron Harris and quarterback Rashard Casey ran for short touchdowns as second-ranked Penn State overcame stubborn Iowa, 31-7, in a Big Ten Conference game. McCoo carried 13 times for 130 yards as the Nittany Lions (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) improved to 27-12 in games after an open date under Joe Paterno -- going 9-1 since 1994 -- and 26-7 in their last 33 road games since 1993. "Yes, I think our precision was better today," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "Both sides of the ball did things well, I thought. I think we did things well inside." McCoo had missed some classwork, Paterno said, and Omar Easy started in his place, running for 27 yards on eight carries. The Hawkeyes (1-4, 0-2) fell to 4-10 all-time against Penn State, including 1-7 in Iowa City. Drummond, a receiver, broke a series of tackles in a 68-yard run on a reverse that opened the scoring midway through the first quarter. "They showed a lot of determination, they were chasing us hard and we were showing a lot of enthusiasm," said Paterno, explaining the call. "So we thought the reverse might work." Casey ran in from six yards just nine seconds before the half to give the Nittany Lions a 14-0 lead. Randy Reiners hit fullback Rob Thein with a 40-yard scoring pass with 9:31 left in the third quarter as the Hawkeyes halved the deficit. McCoo restored Penn State's 14-point lead just under five minutes later with a 47-yard touchdown run, but the Hawkeyes ended the third quarter with a 4th-and-goal from the Penn State 1-yard line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Reiners was stuffed at the 2 on a rollout. The Nittany Lions marched 98 yards, with Harris closing the near five-minute drive with a 10-yard run that made it 28-7. "We were still in it in the fourth quarter, so hoefully this will be a learning experience that we can build off of," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. Travis Forney tacked on a 26-yard field goal with 4:23 remaining to increase the lead to 31-7. "At Michigan State they (Iowa) got behind so fast, they didn't have a chance to show anything," Paterno said. "We knew they had a couple of good running backs and their quarterback had a heck of a game." Penn State had 341 yards on the ground. Casey had 65 yards on five rushes and completed 5-of-14 passes for 53 yards with an interception. Kevin Thompson was 11-of-19 for 106 yards and an interception for the Nittany Lions, who posted 500 yards of total offense and held Iowa to 240. Reiners was 18-of-30 for 192 yards and LaDell Betts had 47 yards on 12 carries for the Hawkeyes. Betts added a team-high four receptions for 22 yards. "I was pretty pleased with our effort," Ferentz said. "I'm not happy with the loss. We matured, but there are still several things we need to practice on. Randy Reiners did a good job improvising. He showed leadership and played with a lot of heart."
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