IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Before a sold-out and striped-out Kinnick Stadium, Penn State players donned gray T-shirts in pregame warmups with a two-letter word blazed across their chests -- "IF".

A heart-wrenching week for Penn State's players began with longtime coach James Franklin's dismissal, and "IF" represented a new type of focus for a reeling football program. To interim coach Terry Smith, "IF" was about infinite possibilities, not just at Iowa on Saturday night but for the rest of this season.

"If we focus, if we play harder, if we buy into each other, it just means a lot of different things," Smith said.

But the last part of "IF" was the step Penn State has yet to take this year: If we finish. In a 25-24 loss to the Hawkeyes, that's where the Nittany Lions fell short once again.

Penn State (3-4, 0-4 Big Ten) collected multiple gifts from Iowa and turned them into points. A blocked 66-yard field goal attempt turned into a touchdown to end the first half. An Iowa offsides penalty allowed the Nittany Lions a second fourth-down attempt at the 1-yard line for another score. Yet those plays became ancillary in the big picture. It's finishing that has come hard for Penn State.

Just three weeks ago, the Nittany Lions led Oregon by a touchdown in overtime during its White Out game. The Ducks followed with two touchdowns, and a Penn State interception capped yet another loss to a top-10 opponent under Franklin.

Then came inexplicable defeats at UCLA and against Northwestern at home. The winless start to open Big Ten play was too much for a fan base to rally around a coach who was 2-18 against teams ranked in the top six. Athletic director Pat Kraft fired Franklin last Sunday, and the team canceled practice that afternoon.

By Tuesday, the players dealt with their initial shock from losing Franklin and tried to focus on Iowa. The Nittany Lions knew they were getting a physical opponent with principles rooted in toughness in a series that has produced some of the Big Ten's most compelling matchups for three decades. They had to match that vibe to compete.

The players closed ranks and focused on "IF." It became their rallying cry all week and throughout Saturday night.

"With that's going on with our program right now, we've just got to believe and have that 'IF' mentality," Penn State linebacker Dominic DeLuca said. "If we put our mind to it, anything can happen and achieve what we want to achieve."

For most of the game, grit and luck seemed to be on the Nittany Lions' side. On the third play from scrimmage, safety Zakee Wheatley picked off Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski to put the ball on the Hawkeyes' 35-yard line. Penn State drove to the Iowa 1-yard line, where it was stopped on fourth down, but Hawkeyes safety Koen Entringer lined up offsides well outside of the tackle box to give the Nittany Lions another shot. Running back Kaytron Allen punched it in for a 7-0 lead.

With the Hawkeyes leading 10-7 and six seconds left until halftime, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz sent kicker Drew Stevens to attempt a 66-yard field goal. Penn State defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam blocked Stevens' low, line-drive kick, and the ball caromed backward to the 35-yard line. Penn State defensive back Elliot Washington Jr. picked up the ball and raced untouched into the end zone as time expired to take a 14-10 lead.

Penn State drove 75 yards to start the third quarter, aided by a pass interference call on third-and-14. Allen punched it in from the 8-yard line to boost the lead to 21-10. It appeared everything was going in Penn State's direction, but it needed to finish. That's where -- once again -- it fell short.

Iowa rumbled down the field in eight plays, capped by a Gronowski 4-yard touchdown run. The Hawkeyes added a field goal early in the fourth quarter to cut their deficit to 21-19.

With longtime Penn State starting quarterback Drew Allar out for the season with an injury, redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer directed a 16-play, fourth-quarter drive that chewed up 8 minutes and 21 seconds and pushed Penn State's advantage to five points. Then Penn State lost the lead in two plays after a Gronowski 68-yard run, followed by Kaden Wetjen's 8-yard touchdown burst.

Trailing 25-24 with 3:54 left, Grunkemeyer then guided Penn State from its 22 to the 49. Facing fourth-and-4 at its 49-yard line, Grunkemeyer faced an all-out blitz and his desperation pass fell incomplete. Iowa ran out the clock for the victory.

"Very disappointing the way we lost," Smith said. "It don't feel like we made them earn it at the very end.

"We can't get stops when we need stops. It's glaring, and I have to get that fixed."

Smith coached aggressively in attempting four fourth-down conversions. Late in the third quarter, Penn State attempted a fourth-and-1 at its 40, which was stopped for no gain. Iowa kicked a field goal five plays later.

Yet where the Nittany Lions struggled was in defending Iowa's running attack. The Hawkeyes (5-2, 3-1) battered the Penn State defense for 245 rushing yards, including a career-high 130 by Gronowski.

It wasn't all bad for the Nittany Lions, who praised one another's effort despite the loss. But in a zero-sum sport, especially for a team with national title aspirations, there are no moral victories. Even in a week with such adversity.

"We tried to come in here with a positive mindset, just if you believe, anything is possible," Wheatley said. "We didn't get the win today, obviously. But other than that, I think in terms of the energy, and what happened this week that we bounced back and we had a positive mindset."

"I would definitely say we're moving in the right direction of where we want to be, and we just have to be able to finish games," DeLuca said. "That's what it comes down to."

Penn State made 'IF' a rallying cry before Iowa. But if it can finish remains a question