Penn State held the ball for an astounding 23:34 and outgained Iowa 203-70 in the first half. But the Hawkeyes forced a pair of red-zone field goals, keeping Penn State’s lead at 13-7.

After falling behind 7-0 early in the first quarter, the Nittany Lions put together scoring drives of 71, 75 and 78 yards — all powered by the running game. They had to settle for 24-yard field goal by Kelly on the first one, but Royster ran for a 2-yard score to give Penn State a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.

Kelly drilled a 31-yarder into the with 55 seconds left in the first half.

Iowa forced Clark to fumble on the game’s opening drive, but the officials said he got it back it at the Penn State 1. The Hawkeyes thought they had recovered the ball in the end zone, but they had to settle for a Nittany Lions punt and a short field.

Greene — with Iowa’s student section decked out in green shirts in honor of the nation’s third-leading rusher — made Penn State pay just two plays later, scoring on a 14-yard touchdown run that put Iowa ahead 7-0.

The Nittany Lions were shooting for their first 10-0 start since 1994 — incidentally, the last time Penn State went undefeated but didn’t win it all — but with home games against Indiana and Michigan State left, a Big Ten title is still Penn State’s to lose.

“Their balloon still isn’t busted,” Paterno said. “If we win the next two we’ll have an opportunity to go to a big bowl.”

Also on NBCSports.com Rosenthal: Steelers’ struggles could sink their playoff hopes Circling the Bases: Halladay to Cubs? That’s unlikely College Football Talk: Weis to resign? That’s ‘not happening’ Opinion: So far, Nowitzki is NBA’s MVP  |  Fan Ranker Twitter: Follow us @nbc_sports

MORE FROM COLLEGE FOOTBALL

College football Section Front

Florida’s Meyer says Notre Dame not an option   Tebow, McCoy finalists for Maxwell, O'Brien honors 6-5 not good enough for Irish, Weis says Bowl Projections: Penn State in BCS picture   Vote: Who should be ranked No. 1? Heisman Hopefuls: Race is tight down stretch QB Robinson resumes throwing for No. 11 Cowboys   CFT: Pike returns to Cincinnati starting lineup   CFT: Leach blasts Mangino ‘witch hunt’ Criminal charges dropped against Tennessee safety College football Section Front   Add College football headlines to your news reader: