Tag: Iowa Hawkeyes

Oct 11, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Logan Jones (65) celebrates a touchdown in the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ross Harried-Imagn Images

Iowa jumps out to big lead, dominates Wisconsin 37-0

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Iowa’s defense forced three turnovers and shut down Wisconsin in a 37-0 Big 10 victory on Saturday night in Madison, Wis.

The Badgers’ turnovers led to 17 points as the Hawkeyes won the Heartland Trophy for the fourth straight year. Kamari Moulton rushed for 96 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown and Xavier Williams added 55 rushing yards and two scores.

The Hawkeyes (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) outrushed the Badgers 210-127 and held a 319-209 edge in total yards.

Bryce Hawthorne and Aaron Graves had first-quarter interceptions for Iowa and Mark Gronowski completed 17 of 24 passes for 107 yards and an interception.

Iowa’s Drew Stevens connected on field goals of 32, 25 and 49 yards.

Wisconsin’s Hunter Simmons completed 8 of 21 passes for 82 yards and two interceptions. Dilin Jones rushed for 69 yards and Ricardo Hallman had an interception for the Badgers (2-4, 0-3). Wisconsin’s offense only crossed midfield four times, with its deepest penetration at the Hawkeyes’ 35-yard line.

After a Stevens field goal opened the scoring, Brian Allen deflected a Simmons’ pass that Hawthorne intercepted. The turnover set up Moulton’s 6-yard touchdown run to put Iowa up 10-0.

On the next Wisconsin drive, Graves returned an interception to the 1-yard line. Gronowski’s quarterback sneak pushed the Iowa lead to 17-0 with 1:30 left in the first quarter. Hallman ended the first quarter with an interception, but Simmons threw a backwards pass that Zach Lutmer recovered for a fumble on the next play and the Hawkeyes reclaimed possession.

Stevens’ third field goal of the first half sent Iowa to the locker room with a 23-0 lead. The rout was on when Williams burst through the Badgers’ line for a 29-yard touchdown scamper to put the Hawkeyes up 30-0 with 10:34 left in the third. In the fourth quarter, Williams punched it in with a 19-yard run for a 37-0 lead.

It was the 99th meeting between the longtime rivals. Wisconsin leads 49-48-2.

–Field Level Media

Sep 19, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (16) passes the ball during the first half as Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Karson Sharar (43) defends at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Mark Gronowski’s 3 rushing TDs take Iowa past Rutgers

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Quarterback Mark Gronowski rushed for three touchdowns and Kaden Wetjen returned the opening kickoff for a score to lead Iowa to a 38-28 victory over Rutgers in the Big Ten opener for both teams on Friday night at Piscataway, N.J.

Jaxon Rexroth notched Iowa’s first interception of the season in the fourth quarter and Kamari Moulton had a rushing score for the Hawkeyes (3-1). Wetjen totaled 167 return yards (124 kickoff, 43 punt) and Gronowski passed for 186 yards and rushed for 55 as the Hawkeyes improved to 5-0 all-time against the Scarlet Knights.

Athan Kaliakmanis passed for 330 yards and one interception and rushed for two touchdowns for Rutgers (3-1). Antwan Raymond also ran for two scores while Ian Strong caught eight passes for 151 yards.

The score was tied in the third quarter when Rutgers’ Jai Patel had a 29-yard field-goal attempt blocked by Ethan Hurkett. Jordan Thompson recovered on the Iowa 23-yard line with 3:36 left in the third quarter.

The Hawkeyes cashed in with Drew Stevens’ 26-yard field goal for a 24-21 lead with 14:02 left in the contest.

The Scarlet Knights answered with a drive that began with Kaliakmanis connecting with Strong on plays of 10, 26 and 12 yards. Raymond finished it from 1 yard out to give Rutgers a 28-24 advantage with 9:44 left.

Iowa regained the lead with an 80-yard drive that included Gronowski’s 42-yard pass to Dayton Howard. Two plays later, Gronowski scored from the 2 to give the Hawkeyes a 31-28 advantage.

On Rutgers’ next drive, Iowa’s Max Llewellyn pressured Kaliakmanis into a floating throw, and Rexroth made a diving interception at the Rutgers 35 with 4:18 left.

Gronowski tacked on a 1-yard score to give the Hawkeyes a 10-point lead with 2:14 to go.

Wetjen fielded the opening kickoff about 3 yards deep in the end zone and headed to the right. There was a big lane along the sideline, and Wetjen sped through it for what was officially a 100-yard touchdown return. It was his second career kickoff return score and fourth overall return TD.

Rutgers knotted the score on Raymond’s 5-yard run with 12:39 remaining in the opening quarter. Over 6 1/2 minutes later, Kaliakmanis scored on a 4-yard keeper to give the Scarlet Knights a 14-7 lead.

Moulton scored on a 6-yard run with 2:24 left in the opening quarter.

Kaliakmanis snuck in from the 1 as Rutgers took a 21-14 lead with 12:12 left in the half. Iowa tied it on Gronowski’s 2-yard keeper with eight minutes to play in the half.

Patel clanked a 37-yard field-goal attempt off the right upright with 2:40 left until halftime, ending his school-record streak of 18 consecutive made field goals.

–Field Level Media

Iowa tight end Addison Ostrenga (87) runs for extra yards after a catch during the Hawkeyes' final spring NCAA football practice, Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. 230422 Iowa Spring Fb 098 Jpg

Iowa TE Addison Ostrenga (Achilles) done for the season

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Iowa tight end Addison Ostrenga will miss the rest of the season after suffering an injury to his left Achilles tendon in the first quarter Saturday at Iowa State.

Ostrenga, who started the Hawkeyes’ first two games this season, needed to be helped off Saturday after landing hard on his left leg. He underwent surgery Monday to repair the tendon, coach Kirk Ferentz said.

“It’s really unfortunate,” Ferentz said Tuesday. “Addison is a great young guy, and you hate to have anybody certainly lose playing time, and he’s one of our senior guys, leader, and just a tremendous young person. That’s certainly disappointing.”

Ostrenga, a 6-foot-4, 248-pound senior, started four games in 2024 and six in 2023 and has 48 career receptions for 320 yards and three touchdowns. His most productive season was in 2023, when he tallied 31 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He had one catch for 8 yards this season.

Zach Ortwerth and Hayden Large are expected to get more work in Ostrenga’s place. Iowa will host UMass on Saturday night.

–Field Level Media

Quarterback Mark Gronowski stands for a photo during Iowa Football’s media day on Aug. 8, 2025, in Iowa City.

Iowa excited to showcase upgraded offense vs. Albany

Posted on | by Field Level Media

After being one of the nation’s worst offensive teams in recent years, there is hope that things will change this season for Iowa entering its season opener Saturday against FCS opponent Albany in Iowa City, Iowa.

Over the offseason, Iowa welcomed in transfer Mark Gronowski, who compiled a 49-6 career record at South Dakota State and threw for 3,058 yards in 2023.

Both his presence and the fact that there might be more overall familiarity with the system in offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s second year on the job is leading to some optimism that the Hawkeyes can put up some points this fall.

“We’re starting to see him in a comfort zone operating the way he’d like to,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said of Gronowski. “One thing I can tell you is I’ve seen him pull the ball down and run, which is not unusual for quarterbacks. Some can’t do it, but you know he can run and keep his eyes down the field. That’s a good trait and he’s demonstrated he can do that.”

Iowa is coming off an 8-5 season and a loss to Missouri in the Music City Bowl.

Albany is coming off a 4-8 season and has an interim head coach in Jared Ambrose, the team’s offensive coordinator last season who took over after Greg Gattuso resigned as head coach to take a defensive analyst position at Penn State.

The original starting quarterback, Van Weber, suffered a season-ending knee injury during spring practice, so there was a quarterback competition during fall camp between Aidan Semo, Jack Shields and Colin Parachek.

Speaking to The League Winners, Ambrose said he feels his team has the ability to match up with a Power 4 conference opponent.

“How do you stack up when you are an FCS team playing against them? You really don’t know until you get there,” Ambrose said. “When you get there, they are sending out their best 11 and we’re going to send ours out. Size does matter in some places. It shows up from time to time in games. But I think we’ll stack up OK. I like our roster and I’m sure they like theirs. We’re going to go out there and try and compete our tails off.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 12, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara (12) throws a pass against the Washington Huskies during the first quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa QB Cade McNamara slams ‘ridiculous’ rumors

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Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara released a statement Friday slamming the “100% false” media reports that suggested he had thrown his final pass for the Hawkeyes.

McNamara has been sidelined since sustaining a concussion during the Oct. 26 win against Northwestern.

Backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan has started the last two games for the Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) but is out with an ankle injury for Saturday’s game at Maryland (4-6, 1-6).

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said earlier this week that Jackson Stratton will be the likely starter against the Terrapins if McNamara is unavailable.

McNamara’s cloudy status prompted speculation on a podcast this week that he was “not mentally ready to play.” The podcast hosts from the Des Moines Register and The Athletic also suggested that McNamara — who played three years at Michigan (2020-22) before transferring to Iowa — is not “fit to play quarterback in the Big Ten right now.”

“We don’t want to bury his career yet, but it does seem like that interception against Northwestern was his last snap as a Hawkeye,” Leistikow said.

McNamara, who passed for 1,017 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games this season, released a statement updating his current status.

“My status is the same as it’s always been — a proud member of this football team,” he said.

McNamara said he has not yet been cleared to play. He said he was cleared to practice on Sunday but suffered an “adverse reaction” and was unable to practice this week and therefore unable to travel with the team to Maryland.

“I have been working with the University of Iowa doctors and trainers, a concussion specialist focused on vision training, as well as engaging in hyperbaric treatments as frequently as possible,” McNamara said. “I have every intention to play versus Nebraska next Friday night and I am confident that my teammates will return from Maryland with a win.”

Including his time with the Wolverines, McNamara has completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 4,703 yards with 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 34 games.

–Field Level Media

Oct 12, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz looks on during the fourth quarter against the Washington Huskies at Kinnick Stadium. The victory would the 200th of Ferentz’s Big Ten career. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa keeps mystery at quarterback ahead of clash vs. Maryland

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Iowa moves on without injured quarterback Brendan Sullivan when the Hawkeyes visit Maryland for a Big Ten Conference contest on Saturday afternoon.

Coach Kirk Ferentz declined to name either former starter Cade McNamara or former fourth-stringer Jackson Stratton as Sullivan’s replacement when asked who would run the offense for Iowa (6-4, 4-3) in College Park, Md.

“Everything’s clearly cloudy right now,” Ferentz said on Tuesday. “That’s our weather forecast.”

McNamara, who hasn’t played since suffering a concussion in a win over Northwestern on Oct. 26, has been cleared by doctors and is listed first on the depth chart.

“Whether he can play effectively or not, we’ll see. We’ll just see how the week goes,” Ferentz said of McNamara.

Iowa had been on an upswing with Sullivan, who had sparked the Hawkeyes to convincing wins over Northwestern and Wisconsin before suffering an ankle injury in a 20-17 loss at UCLA on Nov. 8. Ferentz said it’s possible Sullivan could return for a bowl game.

Another storyline for Saturday is that Ferentz will be opposing his son, Brian Ferentz, an assistant at Maryland. Brian Ferentz was Iowa’s offensive coordinator from 2017-23.

“We’ve all got business to take care of on Saturday,” Kirk Ferentz said. “I think his experience has been good and everything I know about it. As a parent, I’m glad he’s with good people.”

Maryland (4-6, 1-6) needs a win to keep its hopes alive for a fourth straight bowl appearance under Mike Locksley.

The Terrapins have dropped five of their last six games, all by at least 14 points, including a 31-17 loss at home to Rutgers last weekend.

“It’s been a challenging last few weeks to say the least,” Locksley said.

The challenge this week will be to stop Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, who leads the Big Ten in rushing yards (1,328) and touchdowns (20), averaging 7.1 yards per carry.

“With running backs, it’s not always about speed. It’s about power, vision and the ability to make something out of nothing,” Locksley said. “This guy is a load and runs behind his pads.”

Maryland answers with quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who leads the Big Ten in passing yards per game (285.5) and completions (268). His top target is Tai Felton, who leads the conference in catches (86) and receiving yards (1,040).

–Field Level Media

Michigan State's Montorie Foster Jr., left, celebrates his touchdown catch against Iowa during the third quarter on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.

Michigan State ends losing streak in Iowa win

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Jonathan Kim set a program record with six field goals to lift Michigan State to a 32-20 home win over Iowa in a Big Ten contest on Saturday.

Michigan State (4-3, 2-2) snapped a three-game losing streak, in the process collecting 468 yards of total offense, 212 rushing yards, 27 first downs and not punting once.

Iowa (4-3, 2-2) trailed 25-14 in the fourth quarter, but cut its deficit to 25-20 with 7:22 remaining in the game on a 75-yard touchdown run by Kaleb Johnson. The 2-point conversion failed.

Michigan State answered, taking a 32-20 lead with 2:03 remaining on a 1-yard touchdown run by Nathan Carter that finished off a 9-play, 75-yard drive.

Michigan State held a 19-7 lead in the third quarter, but Iowa made it 19-14 with 49 seconds remaining in the third on a 2-yard touchdown run by Brendan Sullivan.

Kim then delivered his fifth field goal of the game, this time from 55 yards out, to give Michigan State a 22-14 lead with 11:52 remaining.

Following an interception by Michigan State’s Nikai Martinez, the Spartans took over on the Iowa 25-yard line and eventually settled for a 46-yard field goal by Kim with 7:34 remaining to take a 25-14 lead.

Trailing 12-0 at halftime, Iowa drove 58 yards in eight plays and cut its deficit to 12-7 on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Cade McNamara to Reece Vander Zee with 9:52 left in the third quarter.

The Spartans answered with a touchdown drive of their own, going 75 yards in nine plays and taking a 19-7 lead on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Chiles to Montorie Foster.

Michigan State took a 12-0 lead at halftime on the strength of four field goals in the first half from Kim.

Kim connected on field goals of 42 and 43 yards in the first quarter to give the Spartans a 6-0 lead, then added field goals of 36 and 29 yards in the second quarter to put Michigan State ahead 12-0.

–Field Level Media

Oct 12, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver Denzel Boston (12) catches a touchdown pass as Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Deshaun Lee (8) defends during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Kaleb Johnson (3 TDs), Iowa run over Washington 40-16

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Kaleb Johnson rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns and added a TD reception as Iowa trounced Washington 40-16 in a Big Ten Conference game Saturday afternoon in Iowa City, Iowa.

Coach Kirk Ferentz earned his 200th career conference victory, second only to Ohio State legend Woody Hayes (205), for the Hawkeyes (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten).

Johnson, who entered the game second in the nation with 154.2 yards rushing per game, scored on runs of 6 and 8 yards and on an 18-yard pass from Cade McNamara. Drew Stevens kicked four field goals for the Hawkeyes.

McNamara also threw a 33-yard scoring strike to Dayton Howard early in the fourth quarter.

The Hawkeyes won despite being outgained 393-328 and with the Huskies holding the ball for 34:59. Washington had a 17-play drive and two 14-play drives.

Will Rogers III completed 22 of 34 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown for the Huskies (4-3, 2-2) but turned over the ball twice on an interception and a fumble. Jonah Coleman rushed nine times for 80 yards.

Huskies backup quarterback Demond Williams Jr. threw a 2-yard TD pass to Rashid Williams late in the fourth to complete the scoring.

The Hawkeyes led 7-0 after the first quarter and 20-10 at the half.

The Hawkeyes opened the scoring on Johnson’s 6-yard run with 1:33 left in the first.

The Huskies responded as Rogers threw a 5-yard TD pass to Denzel Boston to tie the score.

Rogers fumbled while being sacked by Aaron Graves and Max Llewellyn recovered at the Huskies’ 19-yard line. That led to Stevens’ 37-yard field goal to make it 10-7.

After forcing a three-and-out, the Hawkeyes extended their advantage on an 18-yard pass from McNamara to Johnson.

Grady Gross connected on a 29-yard field goal to pull Washington within 17-10 with 29 seconds left in the second quarter.

Johnson broke free on a 53-yard run on the Hawkeyes’ next play from scrimmage, setting up a 46-yard field goal by Stevens on the last play of the half.

The Huskies drove to Iowa’s 23-yard line on their opening possession of the third quarter before defensive back Jermari Harris intercepted a Rogers pass.

Iowa drove to the Washington 1 and had first-and-goal but was stuffed on three plays and settled for Stevens’ 25-yard field goal.

Johnson scored on an 8-yard run on the opening play of the fourth quarter as the Hawkeyes extended their lead to 30-10.

–Field Level Media

Sep 7, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson (2) runs for a 27 yard touchdown against the Iowa State Cyclones during the first quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa star Kaleb Johnson to test Minnesota’s stingy defense

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Offense and Iowa haven’t exactly gone together like peanut butter and jelly in recent years.

But the Hawkeyes can boast of an NCAA leader in a pretty important category ahead of their Big Ten Conference opener Saturday night against Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Kaleb Johnson enters the weekend as the top rusher in FBS with 479 yards through three games. Last week, he rolled up 173 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in a come-from-behind 38-21 home win over Troy.

The first Iowa running back to rush for more than 100 yards in three straight games since 2015, Johnson says that he’s become a more refined runner in his third season with the Hawkeyes (2-1).

“My first two years here, I was so used to just using my speed on people because that’s how it was in high school,” he said. “Now, just me knowing that people are faster than me, it kind of hurt a little bit, because I’m used to just outrunning everybody.

“Now, it’s just me knowing that and me putting my strength, using my strength and putting my feet and my head down and just going.”

Johnson faces a stiff test on the road this week.

The Golden Gophers (2-1) have logged consecutive shutouts since a season-opening, two-point loss to North Carolina. Last week, they eased past Nevada 27-0, limiting the Wolf Pack to 10 first downs and 172 total yards.

Like the Hawkeyes, Minnesota enjoyed a big game from a running back with three touchdowns and 161 yards from scrimmage last week by Darius Taylor.

But the Gophers’ strength is their defense, under new coordinator Corey Hetherman, which has permitted only one touchdown.

“He’s brought a new energy, new attitude to this team,” said linebacker Maverick Baranowski. “We played hard last year, but this year we are really clicking. It helps we’re a lot older and more mature.”

This will be the 118th meeting of the longtime rivals, who play for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy. The Gophers own a 63-52-2 lead in the series, winning last year 12-10 in Iowa City.

–Field Level Media