COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Engram, Penn State Save Best for Last : Big Ten: Receiver scores twice in fourth quarter as Nittany Lions hand Iowa first loss, 41-27.

Penn State’s Bobby Engram saved his heroics for the fourth quarter against Iowa. And for the third time this season, the Nittany Lions decided to do the same.

Wally Richardson connected with Engram for two touchdowns in the final 15 minutes and Jon Witman scored three times as No. 19 Penn State rallied to beat 18th-ranked Iowa, 41-27, in a Big Ten showdown on Saturday.

Engram had just two receptions for 39 yards at halftime but ended up with seven for 150 while becoming the school’s career leader in touchdown receptions with 27, two more than Kenny Jackson (1980-83).

“You may not be on top of your game every day. That happened to me today. It’s just one of those days--I was a little bit off and some things weren’t going my way,” Engram said.

Iowa Coach Hayden Fry figured Engram would break loose sooner or later.

“Little Bobby Engram is just unbelievable. He’s just a great football player,” Fry said. “That was the best I’ve seen Penn State play all year. They have improved in a lot of categories just since last week.”

Penn State beat Purdue a week ago by rallying in the final minutes, a tactic it also used against Texas Tech earlier this year.

“It’s a team that really feels it can do that,” Penn State Coach Joe Paterno said. “And that’s half the battle.

“I think we’re still learning to be a football team. We’re just not as smooth as we should be,” he said.

The Nittany Lions, 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten, defeated Iowa (5-1, 2-1) for the sixth consecutive time at Kinnick Stadium.

Richardson, a 62% passer, was 10 for 24 for 202 yards and an interception, but his 13-yarder to Engram deep in the left corner of the end zone snapped a 27-27 tie with 6:07 remaining.

Matt Sherman, 21 for 28 for a career-high 374 yards and two touchdowns, drove the Hawkeyes 30 yards to midfield on the ensuing possession. But his pass to Scott Slutzker was picked off by Kim Herring--Sherman’s first interception in 100 passes--and the Nittany Lions took over at their 39.

Four plays later, Richardson and Engram hooked up on a 43-yard touchdown pass to put the game away with 3:09 to play.

Zach Bromert’s 22-yard field goal drew Iowa into a 17-17 tie with 8:40 left in the third quarter before a one-yard plunge by Witman on Penn State’s next series capped a 73-yard drive to give the Nittany Lions a 24-17 lead.