Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski found confidence in defeat.
The Hawkeyes dropped their rivalry matchup against Iowa State, 16-13, with Gronowski completing 13 passes for 83 yards and an interception. At first glance, the stats indicate stagancy, even regression for the prized transfer, who arrived in Iowa City after leading South Dakota State to consecutive FCS titles.
Yet Gronowski looks beyond personal performance. Rather, one offensive drive told him all he needed to know. Trailing, 13-3, with just under five minutes remaining in the first half, Iowa’s offense found life. Until that point, the Hawkeyes had compiled 39 yards on six possessions, the most recent resulting in Gronowski’s turnover.
With a hostile road crowd on its feet, Gronowski and the Hawkeyes gradually diminished the roars of the Cyclone faithful, posting a 16-play, 85-yard touchdown drive featuring 33 passing yards and culminating in a two-yard touchdown run from the quarterback, who shouldered his way past defenders and into the welcoming arms of his teammates in the end zone.
“I think I just needed to slow the game down for myself a little bit,” Gronowski said. “Gain that confidence, know that I am the player that I am. Not trying to play anything bigger than myself, not trying to be Superman out there, but just be Mark Gronowski.”
Following the loss to the Cyclones, Gronowski’s reputation as a dual-threat quarterback only grew stronger. The flashes of potential against Iowa State have become more consistent in Iowa’s consecutive victories over UMass and Rutgers, where the quarterback threw for a combined 365 yards, added another 67 on the ground and accounted for six scores.
On paper, the numbers indicate a clear turnaround, but the true test will arrive Saturday afternoon when 3-1 Iowa hosts 4-0 Indiana at Kinnick Stadium on Peacock.
“It’s a great opportunity, having arguably the hottest team in the country coming into our home field,” offensive lineman Trevor Lauck said. “There’s not much more you can ask for. We know the fans are gonna be ready, and it’s our job to do the same.”
Fresh off a 63-10 dismantling of then-No. 9 Illinois, Indiana jumped eight spots to No. 11 in the AP poll. For the Hawkeyes, dethroning the Hoosiers will be easier at home, but Iowa’s precedent against ranked opponents says otherwise.
Iowa’s last victory against a ranked team was back in October 2021 against Penn State. Since then, the Hawkeyes have dropped 10 consecutive ranked matchups. Head coach Kirk Ferentz didn’t mince words when discussing the topic.
“Probably score more points than whoever it is we’re playing,” he deadpanned in his Tuesday press conference.
Points have been at a premium for the Hawkeyes in recent years. Iowa scored more than 20 points just once during its losing streak and have been shut out three times. Granted, all but one of these contests occurred on the road or at a neutral site, but the Hawkeyes were still vastly outscored, 278-88. Yet, hope for the home team can be found in two sources: Gronowski and offensive coordinator Tim Lester.
Gronowski sat out Iowa’s spring practices while recovering from shoulder surgery. Ferentz said these missed reps shouldn’t be minimized, especially considering Gronowski is learning a new offense under Lester, complete with different schemes and new verbiage. For Ferentz, Gronowski’s jump from his first two games (53.8 completion percentage, 127 passing yards) to his most-recent pair (66.7 completion percentage, 365 passing yards) isn’t surprising.
“It takes time to get acclimated a little bit, and with each week he’s more and more comfortable running the ball, operating, leading the team out there,” Ferentz said.
Even during his struggles, Gronowski’s competitive spirit never dimmed. The victory over Rutgers moved Gronowski’s career record to 52-7 — cementing him as the winningest quarterback in NCAA history. For center Logan Jones, Gronowski’s competitive nature demanded his teammates’ respect and played a role in the quarterback being voted a captain this season.
“That says a lot about him,” Jones said. “Stats don’t always show up. People have bad days, but how he responds is the biggest thing. He responded because he’s a winner.”
In the transfer portal this winner, Gronowski’s winning pedigree, not to mention his 2023 Walter Payton Award as the FCS’s Heisman winner, attracted plenty of suitors. The quarterback said his missed calls and texts stretched into triple digits. When he visited Iowa, face-to-face conversation eliminated any outside noise, not to mention the stigma of Iowa quarterbacks.
No Hawkeye has thrown for 300 yards in a game since 2019. A 3,000-yard passing season hasn’t occurred since 2011. Gronowski had reason to doubt a potential future Iowa, but meeting with Lester, now in his second year in Iowa City, assuaged any trepidation. The pair talked for almost five hours in the team’s facility, then shared a two-hour dinner afterward.
“He’s a guy that just has a ton of energy and really makes watching film, learning the game of football, fun,” Gronowski said. “He makes the meeting room fun, but he’s also very knowledgeable of the game, and you can see that right when you start talking with him. He’s always thinking about so many different looks and opportunities that are out there on the field.”
A former head coach at Western Michigan and senior analyst for the Green Bay Packers, Lester runs an offense centered on an aggressive mindset.
“He wants to get on defenses. He wants to attack them vertically, attack them in so many different ways and is always trying to find the best way to do it,” Gronowski said. “He’s not trying to be a super conservative playcaller.”
Gronowski’s confidence-building drive against Iowa State could be argued as conservative. Only three plays accounted for at least 10 yards. However, the next week against UMass, Iowa’s opening drive required just three plays to travel 65 yards. Gronowski threw a 45-yard dot to wide receiver Sam Phillips on the second play, followed by a 25-yard strike to wideout Seth Anderson in the end zone.
Lester’s offense can be both methodical and swift. The key is ensuring both styles are lethal. When successful, Lester wants everyone involved, for every Hawkeye to share Gronowski’s newfound confidence.
“He’s getting everyone involved because he believes anybody on the roster can make those plays,” Jones said. “And if he has belief in you, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have belief in each other.”
How to watch No. 11 Indiana vs Iowa:
- When: Saturday, September 27
- Where: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
- Time: 3:30 PM ET
- Live Stream: Peacock
About the Author
Matt McGowan is a senior at the University of Iowa and has been on the staff of The Daily Iowan, the university’s student newspaper, since his freshman year. With The Daily Iowan, Matt has covered women’s tennis, men’s wrestling, and other sports. He has been on the football beat since the spring of 2022 and is the editor of The Daily Iowan’s Pregame edition, a weekly print solely devoted to football.
