STATE COLLEGE — No. 7 Penn State doesn't want to finish like it's 1999.

Back then, a 9-0 start and national title aspirations for the Nittany Lions evaporated after a crushing 24-23 loss in early November to an unranked Minnesota on a last-second field goal. That loss started a three-game slide to finish the regular season for Penn State.

Back to the present and Penn State is coming of its first loss of the season, a 24-23 setback to unranked Iowa on a last-second field goal. The Nittany Lions (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) hope the similarities end.

They can still go to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 14 seasons by beating Indiana this week and No. 18 Michigan State next weekend.

"I'm looking forward to getting this thing going again," coach Joe Paterno said Tuesday.

The Iowa loss dealt a severe blow to the 81-year-old Paterno's chances for a third national championship. Penn State will need a lot of help from some of the seven teams ahead of them in the BCS standings to climb back into title contention.

JoePa had his typical postgame restless night of sleep before getting back to work on Sunday.

"Well, I wasn't looking behind as much until I came over here," Paterno said at his weekly news conference at Beaver Stadium. "You guys are talking about Iowa, I would prefer to talk about Indiana and put Iowa behind us."

Quarterback Daryll Clark was distraught after his first defeat as a starting quarterback and the worst performance of his season. The fourth-quarter interception he threw deep in Iowa territory set up the drive that led to the game-winning field goal with 1 second left by the Hawkeyes' Daniel Murray.

Former Penn State quarterback and current San Francisco 49er running back Michael Robinson, a mentor to Clark, spoke afterward with Clark by phone to console him. Clark got a long pep talk from his father when he got home, and center A.Q. Shipley reminded Clark he was one of the main reasons the Nittany Lions got off to a strong start in the first place.

Penn State's run of nearly flawless execution during its 9-0 start came to screeching halt against Iowa. There were offsides and pass interference flags, missed coverages and dropped passes. An offensive line considered one of the best in the conference struggled at times against the tough Iowa front four.

Shipley views these next two games as a learning experience.

"It's a great teaching principle for life in general. Great ups and downs, adversity, how you handle it," the senior captain said. "We're going to find out what kind of determination we have the last two weeks."