Tag: Hawkeyes

Mark Gronowski accounts for 3 TDs as Iowa handles Nebraska

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Mark Gronowski ran for two touchdowns and threw for another and Iowa continued its dominance of Nebraska in a 40-16 win on Friday afternoon in a Big Ten game in Lincoln, Neb.

The Hawkeyes (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) won for the 10th time in 11 meetings with their largest margin of victory in the series since 2017.

Gronowski, a sixth-year senior, extended his NCAA Division I record with his 57th win as a starting quarterback. He threw for 166 yards and a TD and ran for 64 with two scores, giving him 15 rushing TDs this season.

Kamari Moulton added 93 yards and two TDs for the Hawkeyes, who won for the seventh straight time at Memorial Stadium.

Nebraska (7-5, 4-5) lost for the third time in four games despite a career-high 217 rushing yards from Emmett Johnson. But 177 of that came in the first half as the Cornhuskers gained just 69 yards in the second half.

Up 24-16 at halftime, Iowa forced a fumble on a punt that resulted in a safety. Gronowski’s second rushing TD, a 6-yard run, put the Hawkeyes up 33-16 with 4:47 left in the third.
Moulton’s 1-yard run made it 40-16 with 13:40 to go.

A 70-yard run by Johnson set up his 1-yard score on the following play for a 7-0 Nebraska lead. Iowa responded with a 41-yard field goal by Drew Stevens and then took a 10-7 lead on a 35-yard TD catch by DJ Vonnahme.

Nebraska tied on a 31-yard field goal by Kyle Cunanan late in the first, and after the Cornhuskers recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff Cunanan hit from 29 for a 13-10 lead early in the second.

Iowa retook the lead on a 3-yard TD run by Moulton with 8:15 left in the first half. Cunanan hit his third field goal, from 35 yards out, to cut it to a 1-point game with 2:39 to go before halftime, only to see Gronowski score on a 1-yard run with 37 seconds remaining.

–Field Level Media

Drew Stevens’ 44-yard FG caps Iowa rally over Michigan State

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Drew Stevens kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired to give Iowa a 20-17 Big Ten win over Michigan State on Saturday in Iowa City.

After taking over on its own 21-yard line with 41 seconds remaining, the Hawkeyes advanced the ball to Michigan State’s 25 on a 29-yard pass from Mark Gronowski to Reece Vander Zee to help set up Stevens’ game-winner.

Gronowski finished 12-of-22 passing for 147 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Iowa (7-4, 5-3), which trailing 17-7 entering the fourth quarter.

Alessio Milivojevic completed 25 of 42 for 255 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for Michigan State (3-8, 0-8), which has lost eight straight.

Michigan State held a 17-10 lead until Iowa tied the game at 17-17 with 1:29 left on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Gronowski to Jacob Gill, who outjumped a defender in the corner of the end zone.

The score was set up by a 40-yard punt return to the Michigan State 43 by Kaden Wetjen.

Trailing 7-3 at halftime, Michigan State scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 17-7 lead.

Milivojevic hit Chrishon McCray for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 8:58 left in the third to give the Spartans a 10-7 lead. Michigan State went up 10 points on Milivojevic’s 5-yard pass to McCray that capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive.

Iowa finally mounted a drive early in the fourth, going 67 yards in nine plays and cutting Michigan State’s lead to 17-10 with 11:27 remaining on a 26-yard field goal by Stevens.

Iowa took a 7-0 lead with 3:38 remaining in the first when Wetjen returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown.

Michigan State made it a 7-3 game with 2:54 left in the first half on a 27-yard field goal by Martin Connington.

–Field Level Media

No. 17 Southern California completes comeback win over No. 21 Iowa

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Bryan Jackson ran for two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter as No. 17 Southern California rallied for a 26-21 victory over No. 21 Iowa on Saturday at Los Angeles.

Jayden Maiava passed for 254 yards and one touchdown. Makai Lemon caught 10 passes for 153 yards and a TD, and the Trojans (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten) stayed alive in the chase for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff.

King Miller had 83 rushing yards on 19 carries, and Jackson scored his two TDs on four carries as USC overcame an early 14-0 deficit.

Mark Gronowski passed for 132 yards and a touchdown with an interception, while also catching a TD pass for the Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3), who lost their second consecutive game.

Kamari Moulton had 90 rushing yards for Iowa, while DJ Vonnahme caught four passes for 59 yards.

Trailing 21-10 at halftime, the Trojans owned the second half to extend their winning streak to three games.

Ryon Sayeri kicked a 28-yard field goal early in the second half before Lemon caught a 12-yard TD pass from Maiava late in the third to pull USC within 21-19. Maiava’s pass on a 2-point conversion try was incomplete.

USC went ahead for good with 13:36 remaining when Jackson finished off a six-play, 40-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run. The drive started after the Trojans’ Jahkeem Stewart intercepted a Gronowski pass.

Iowa was on a late drive with a chance to take the lead, but Gronowski’s pass to Kaden Wetjen was just out of bounds at the USC 8-yard line with 1:59 remaining.

Iowa led 7-0 through one quarter after Gronowski hit Dayton Howard on a 2-yard touchdown pass. It became 14-0 when Gronowski scored on a 1-yard run early in the second quarter.

USC got onto the scoreboard for the first time on a 1-yard TD run from Jackson with 9:15 remaining in the first half.

Iowa used a trick play to take a 21-7 lead with 3:24 left before halftime. Gronowski caught a 5-yard TD pass from wide receiver Reece Vander Zee after a reverse that started on a hand off to Wetjen.

The Trojans pulled within 21-10 at halftime on a 40-yard field goal from Sayeri.

–Field Level Media

No. 17 USC honing in on latest big opportunity vs. No. 21 Iowa

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No. 17 Southern California will be out to keep a narrow focus on No. 21 Iowa this Saturday in Los Angeles, knowing that a victory will continue to make the bigger picture come to life.

The Trojans (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) will need some help to get into the Big Ten championship game, but by winning their last three games — against Iowa, Oregon and UCLA — a spot in the College Football Playoff might be there for the taking.

Overlooking the Hawkeyes, though, with a date against Oregon next, would ruin future plans.

Since falling 34-24 at Notre Dame on Oct. 18, USC got back into Big Ten play with victories over Nebraska on Nov. 1 and Northwestern at home Friday when the Trojans pulled away in the second half for a 38-17 victory.

Jayden Maiava completed 24 of 33 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns, while wide receiver Makai Lemon had 11 receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown, as well as a rushing TD. Walk-on running back King Miller gained 127 yards with a TD.

USC’s defense recovered a pair of fumbles and gave up just 28 rushing yards in the second half while allowing three points over the final two quarters.

“We know the more we win, the bigger these opportunities get,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said. “We’ve got some big ones coming up that are big because we’ve made them big. And so I think for the team, just making sure they understand that, they understand how hard it is to get to this point in any year, where you have in front of us what we do.”

If Ohio State and Indiana win out, those teams will meet in the Big Ten title game. But if USC wins out and Ohio State falls to rival Michigan, the Trojans would board a flight for Indianapolis next month. That is just one outside scenario that would help USC down the stretch.

The Hawkeyes (6-3, 4-2) dropped an 18-16 heartbreaker at home to No. 9 Oregon on Saturday. All three of their losses this season have come to ranked teams, as they fell to Iowa State on Sept. 6 and lost to current CFP No. 2 Indiana 20-15 three weeks later.

Iowa took a 16-15 lead over Oregon with less than two minutes remaining after a 3-yard touchdown run from Mark Gronowski off a quarterback draw, but the Ducks got a 39-yard field goal from Atticus Sappington with three seconds left.

“We came up a little short, but proud of our team’s effort and the way we competed certainly,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Tough loss. A lot of little things that we’re going to have to figure out, do a little bit better at, but the most important thing for our team is they understand there’s a lot to be proud of.”

For the Hawkeyes to have a chance in their second-ever conference visit to the L.A. area (they lost 20-17 at UCLA last season), they likely will have to lean into a defense that is third in the Big Ten with 13.7 points allowed per game. USC leads the conference with 503.2 yards gained on offense per game.

–Field Level Media

No. 9 Oregon tries to avoid upset at Iowa on path to CFP

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A four-game stretch to end the regular season against four Big Ten teams currently with six wins each begins on Saturday for Oregon, which on Tuesday debuted at No. 9 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The Ducks hope to avoid an upset the rest of the way and stay in the CFP field in December.

Oregon (7-1, 4-1 in Big Ten) faces Iowa in Iowa City in what will be the first Big Ten meeting between the two programs. The CFP’s 20th-ranked Hawkeyes (6-2, 4-1) boast a scoring defense allowing only 13.3 points per game this season and a strong rushing attack on offense.

Oregon counters with a prolific offense that was held to 21 points in a win over Wisconsin on Oct. 25, the Ducks’ most recent game, but averages 41.25 points and 483.9 total yards per game this season.

Ducks quarterback Dante Moore is expected to play after he left the Wisconsin game in the second half when he was hit in the face while being tackled and suffered a bloody nose.

Oregon’s defense is also one of the country’s best, allowing just 13.5 points per game.

The Ducks have gone undefeated in their last 10 road games — the nation’s current longest road winning streak — while Iowa is winless in its last 11 games against a ranked opponent.

“There’s some great teams that we’re going to see over the next few weeks, and Iowa certainly sets that off,” Ducks head coach Dan Lanning said this week. “They jumped out fast against a Minnesota team that plays good football and got a big win. So I think this team is probably not getting near enough credit that they deserve for the kind of team that they are.”

The Hawkeyes hammered Minnesota 41-3 at home on Oct. 25, the last time they took the field.

Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski, a graduate transfer from South Dakota State, is the only player in the nation to score a rushing touchdown in every game this season. He has 11 total rushing touchdowns on the year.

The Hawkeyes, like the Ducks, are coming off a bye week. They’re on a three-game winning streak while Oregon has won its last two.

The game could come down to whether Iowa, allowing only 2.6 yards per rushing attempt, can stop Oregon’s ground game, which gains 6.3 yards per rush.

Iowa has a 21-2 record in November over its last 23 games played in the month. The Hawkeyes are 17-3 at Kinnick Stadium in November since 2015.

“Historically, our best teams have gotten better as the year went on,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz told the Des Moines Register. “I think we’ve done that this year, so I certainly think we’re better equipped right now, maybe, to compete with a team like this. But all that being said, it’s still going to be a heck of a challenge. I certainly would rather be playing someone in this type of game in November.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 25, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski (11) runs for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa takes down Minnesota in all-around dominant performance

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Mark Gronowski passed for one touchdown and rushed for another, and Iowa pulled away for a commanding 41-3 win over Minnesota in a Big Ten Conference contest Saturday afternoon in Iowa City.

Gronowski completed 12 of 19 passes for 135 yards and a score for Iowa (6-2, 4-1), which won its third game in a row. The quarterback also had nine carries for 24 yards and a score.

Drake Lindsey completed 16 of 28 passes for 109 yards but threw three interceptions for Minnesota (5-3, 3-2). Le’Meke Brockington finished with six receptions for 54 yards.

In a complete team effort, the Hawkeyes also tallied one touchdown apiece on defense and special teams. Zach Lutmer had a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown, and Kaden Wetjen returned a punt 50 yards for a touchdown.

Minnesota managed only 133 yards of total offense, including 109 passing yards and 24 rushing yards. Iowa finished with 274 total yards, including 141 in the air and 133 on the ground.

The Hawkeyes stormed to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and a 31-0 lead by halftime.

Gronowski started the scoring with a 2-yard run across the goal line on the Hawkeyes’ opening drive. It marked his 11th rushing touchdown in eight games this season.

Drew Stevens followed with a 34-yard field goal to make it 10-0 late in the first quarter.

Twenty-two seconds later, Lutmer picked off Lindsey for a 34-yard touchdown to increase Iowa’s lead to 17-0. He made a leaping grab and broke a pair of tackles on his way to the end zone.

The Hawkeyes’ dominant first half continued as Gronowski connected with Reece Vander Zee for a 29-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to make it 24-0.

Wetjen pushed the lead to 31-0 with his 50-yard punt return score two minutes and 10 seconds later. He slipped past a would-be tackler and followed a blocker toward the end zone.

Stevens added a 46-yard field goal and backup quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski scored on a 6-yard touchdown run in the second half for Iowa.

Minnesota avoided the shutout with a 34-yard field goal by Brady Denaburg in the final seconds of the third quarter.

–Field Level Media

Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski (11) slides during a college football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions Oct. 18, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

Iowa stages second-half comeback to top reeling Penn State

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Quarterback Mark Gronowski ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns Saturday night and Iowa rallied from a 21-10 third-quarter deficit to edge visiting Penn State 25-24 in Iowa City.

Gronowski’s 67-yard run set up the winning score, an 8-yard run on a jet sweep by receiver Kaden Wetjen with 3:54 remaining. The Nittany Lions’ final chance to win ended on a 4th-and-4 incompletion as a scrambling Ethan Grunkemeyer tried to hit Trebor Pena over the middle with 1:14 remaining.

Gronowski completed 10 of 16 passes for 68 yards, bringing the Hawkeyes (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten Conference) within 21-16 via a 4-yard touchdown run at the 4:19 mark of the third quarter. Drew Stevens added a 31-yard field goal to trim the deficit to two before Ryan Barker converted from 32 for Penn State with 4:56 left in the game.

Grunkemeyer, making his first start in place of the injured Drew Allar, connected on 15 of 28 passes for just 93 yards and tossed two interceptions. Kaytron Allen was most of the offense for the Nittany Lions (3-4, 0-4) with 145 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 28 carries, but it wasn’t enough to prevent their fourth straight loss.

Playing its first game under interim coach Terry Smith after James Franklin was fired on Sunday, Penn State initiated the scoring with its first possession of the night. Allen burrowed in from the 1 on 4th down at the 8:26 mark, one play after a penalty extended the march.

Iowa answered with Stevens’ 39-yard field goal later in the first quarter, then took its first lead when Gronowski snuck in from the 1 with 1:14 left. That came two plays after Xavier Nwankpa picked off Grunkemeyer and returned it 28 yards to the 1.

The Hawkeyes got aggressive at the end of the half in a bid to extend the lead and it bit them. They had Stevens attempt a 66-yard field goal on the final play, but it was blocked by Xavier Gilliam and returned 35 yards by Elliot Washington for the go-ahead touchdown as time expired, making it 14-10 Nittany Lions at the break.

–Field Level Media

Penn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith talks with CB Elliot Washington II (16) during football media day at Beaver Stadium on Sunday, August 6, 2023, in State College.

Penn State launches post-James Franklin era at Iowa

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There is picking up the pieces and then there is what Penn State is trying to do this week.

Three consecutive losses not only dropped the Nittany Lions from No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 to zero votes in the poll, but the results dropped Penn State’s confidence in 12th-year coach James Franklin to zero. He was fired on Sunday, a day after the Nittany Lions’ stunning 22-21 home defeat to Northwestern.

Interim head coach Terry Smith and the players will try to make something good happen Saturday night when they travel to Iowa for a Big Ten matchup.

“We got our coach fired,” senior offensive lineman Nick Dawkins said. “We didn’t play well enough. We didn’t do our job good enough and now he doesn’t have a job anymore. For us, at least as players, it’s an overwhelming sense of guilt.”

Making the task tougher is that senior quarterback Drew Allar is out for the year due to a severe left leg injury he sustained on his team’s next-to-last snap against Northwestern. Redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, who ran for no gain on the team’s last play, replaces Allar.

The Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) and their new quarterback now must face the Hawkeyes (4-2, 2-1), who just played their best game of the year, a 37-0 win at Wisconsin. Iowa permits just 13 points per game.

Almost as notable? Iowa is at least resembling an average FBS team on offense, a big step over recent years. The Hawkeyes are averaging 30.7 points per game and have scored 37 and 38 points in their two conference wins.

Despite Penn State’s recent issues, veteran Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz isn’t underestimating what the Nittany Lions could bring to the table.

“It’s going to be a big-time challenge,” he said. “It’s a really talented football team we’re playing against. They’ve got good players at every position. They had a change on Sunday, which was big news, but I’m sure Coach (Smith) will do a good job tying it together.”

The Nittany Lions own an 18-14 lead in the all-time series after winning the latest meeting 31-0 at home in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Sep 20, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers offensive lineman Pat Coogan (78) and Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) celebrate with Indiana Hoosiers running back Khobie Martin (28) after a touchdown during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

No. 11 Indiana has ‘more difficult challenge’ at Iowa after Illinois rout

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What does No. 11 Indiana do for an encore after playing a near-flawless game last week in a 63-10 destruction of then-No. 9 Illinois?

According to second-year coach Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers’ trip to face Big Ten rival Iowa Saturday will be a more difficult challenge than facing a top 10 foe.

“And the sooner our guys realize that, the better,” he said.

Some might have seen Cignetti’s assertion that Iowa will be a tougher game than Illinois as a shot fired either at the Fighting Illini, who showed practically zero fight for most of the last three quarters, or the pundits who thought they would win.

It’s also the truth, simply because it’s hard to imagine that Indiana (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), even as good as it has looked so far, is going to be 53 points better than the Hawkeyes (3-1, 1-0) in Iowa City. All that crowd noise that boosted the Hoosiers to levels Illinois simply couldn’t match will be working in Iowa’s favor.

This is Indiana’s first road game of the season. Can the Fernando Mendoza-led offense function in one of the league’s louder venues? Will the Hoosiers be able to play their usual air-tight brand of football that Cignetti has established?

“It’s a tough place to play,” he said of Kinnick Stadium. “They sell out almost every Saturday. It’s loud. … Obviously, it will be a big point of emphasis this week in practice. I’m not going to tell you what we will do.”

If Mendoza keeps playing at his current level, Cignetti could give the Hawkeyes the playbook and it might not matter. Mendoza was 21 of 23 for 267 yards and five touchdowns against the Illini, making him 76 of 99 (76.8 percent, second-best among all FBS QBs) for 975 yards with an FBS-leading 14 passing touchdowns and no interceptions this season.

While Indiana is clicking in all facets, Iowa is coming off an encouraging 38-28 win at Rutgers in its conference opener on Sept. 19. Mark Gronowski ran for three touchdowns and threw for 186 yards in his best performance of the year.

The South Dakota State transfer, who led the Jackrabbits to 2022 and 2023 FCS titles, struggled to get the passing game going in the first two games. He connected on just 21 of 39 attempts for 127 yards in a blowout win over FCS foe Albany and a loss at Iowa State.

But he’s looked more like himself in the last two games, giving Hawkeye fans hope they might finally have a competent offense to go along with their usually stingy defense and solid special teams.

“I think with each week, he’s more and more comfortable running the offense and leading the team out there,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. “It’s been good to watch him grow confidence. We’re not surprised by that.

“He’s just a really high-quality guy. But you can’t overstate the importance of practice and repetition. I think that’s really, really important for him.”

It doesn’t hurt that the Hawkeyes are averaging 200.5 rushing yards per game, led by six touchdowns from Gronowski and an FBS-best 88.2 run-blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus.

Iowa owns a 46-28-4 lead in the all-time series, including a 34-6 win in the last meeting in 2021.

–Field Level Media

Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Seth Anderson (6) is lifted into the air as teammates celebrate his touchdown with him during a football game against the Massachusetts Minutemen Sept. 13, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

Iowa blows past UMass behind 3 Mark Gronowski TDs

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Quarterback Mark Gronowski passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead Iowa to a 47-7 victory over Massachusetts on Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa.

Gronowski, who won two FCS national championships with South Dakota State before he transferred to Iowa, completed 16 of 24 passes for 179 yards. He was pulled from the game after three quarters.

Seth Anderson caught two touchdown passes for the Hawkeyes, who also received a 20-yard TD run from Kaden Wetjen, a 95-yard punt return for a TD from Wetjen and two field goals from Drew Stevens (54 and 27 yards).

Iowa’s final TD came on a 2-yard pass from backup quarterback Hank Brown to KJ Parker.

Iowa (2-1) led 20-0 after one quarter, 30-7 at halftime and 40-7 entering the fourth.

It was victory No. 206 for Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, making him the winningest coach in Big Ten history. Woody Hayes won 205 games as Ohio State’s coach from 1951-1978.

Iowa scored on its first three possessions. After Anderson caught a 20-yard touchdown pass 1:31 into the game, he hauled in a 3-yard TD pass to make it 13-0 with 7:41 left in the opening quarter. Wetjen’s TD run came with 2:08 remaining in the quarter.

UMass (0-3) got on the scoreboard when quarterback Grant Jordan found the end zone from 6 yards away with 11:50 left in the first half. Derek Morris made the PAT to cut Iowa’s lead to 20-7.

The TD was set up when Kezion Dia-Johnson blocked a punt that gave the Minutemen possession on the Iowa 21-yard line.

After Stevens made his 54-yard field goal, Gronowski accounted for the first half’s final TD on a 13-yard run.

UMass was limited to 34 yards of offense in the first half. The Minutemen had zero yards rushing on 16 attempts through two quarters.

Wetjen’s 95-yard punt return plus the PAT extended Iowa’s lead to 37-7 with 12:39 remaining in the third, and Stevens made his 27-yard field goal with 2:58 left in the third.

Brown’s TD pass to Parker came with 11:04 to play.

–Field Level Media