Though second-year offensive coordinator Tim Lester has installed the robust West-Coast offensive system in Iowa City, his Iowa offense closely resembled Tom Osborne’s I-formation offense on Saturday.
That’s because the Hawkeyes totaled 310 rushing yards on 53 carries, leading to a dominant 34-7 triumph over Albany to begin the 2025 season.
All eyes were on South Dakota State transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski, but he struggled to find a rhythm in the passing game, completing just 8 of 15 passes for one touchdown and no interceptions. Gronowski was quick to admit his performance was not up to his standards.
“I’m disappointed in how I played today,” Gronowski said after the game. “But this season, it’s a whole journey. It’s a whole long journey. Can keep improving every single week. Me and the receivers are going to continue to get better every single week.”
“He’s an unbelievably conscientious guy,” Ferentz said. “This will be good for him get get through this and move forward. He’ll be fine.”
The star of the game was first-year running back Xavier Williams, who collected 122 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries of work. In fact, Saturday’s contest was the first game action Williams has seen since arriving in Iowa City in 2024.
“That was a great way to kick it off for my first time being in Kinnick,” Williams said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better start.”
The win also marked the 205th of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz’s Iowa coaching career, tying him with legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes on the all-time Big Ten wins list.
“He kind of shunned it off, and he said, “Don’t worry about it when he retires,”” Gronowski said. “But I’m happy for him. It’s a big accomplishment for him, but we’re going to keep winning all season.”
Albany’s opening kickoff squirted out of bounds, which would ultimately be a bad omen for the visitors on this night. The Hawkeyes established their rushing attack early, with No. 1 back Kamari Moulton collecting 22 yards, including a 10-yard burst on the first play from scrimmage.
Gronowski showed some early jitters, completing just 2 of his first 5 passing attempts while missing a wide-open Sam Phillips in the end zone. Iowa was forced to settle for a field goal attempt, which Drew Stevens knocked in from 28-yards out for the Hawkeyes’ first points of the season.
The missed touchdown seemed to unravel Iowa’s morale, as they responded with a pair of three-and-outs. This allowed the Great Danes to make a scoring push, and they did just that, totaling a 13-play, 55-yard touchdown drive to take an improbable 7-3 lead with 11:40 to go in the half.
The Hawkeyes went back to the ground on their next possession, and the strategy worked to perfection. Williams dominated the drive, collecting 44 yards and a touchdown, the first of his young career.
“Xavier played like a veteran guy, which was good to see,” Ferentz said.
26 for 6 🙌@Xavierwilliamsw x #Hawkeyes
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) August 30, 2025
Williams continued his strong half on the next drive. His 43-yard scamper down the left sideline positioned Iowa deep in the red zone, and Gronowski and company converted. Facing a 4th-and-goal from the two-yard line, Gronowski hit fifth-year wideout Kaden Wetjen over the middle for a touchdown. It marked the first Iowa passing touchdown for Gronowski, as well as the first receiving score of Wetjen’s career.
Kaden Wetjen continues to impress for @HawkeyeFootball 🐥
📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/zR8tjsh90Q
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) August 30, 2025
Second Half
Efficiency remained the theme for Iowa’s offense in the second half. The Hawkeyes continued to pound the rock down Albany’s throat, but it was a key passing play that set up Iowa’s third score of the night.
Facing a 3rd-and-10 from Great Danes’ 16, Gronowski’s found a wide-open Jacob Gill on the sideline for a 13-yard gain, his longest completion up to that point.Two plays later, Gronowski punched it in from a yard out on a designed run to give the Hawks a 24-7 lead.
Took it himself 👏@mgronowski11 x #Hawkeyes
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) August 31, 2025
Gronowski began cramping after he crossed the goal line and laid on the field for several minutes while the training staff attempted to stretch his leg out. He quickly popped back on his feet, delighting the Hawkeye faithful. But the cramping problems persisted on Iowa’s next series, forcing backup quarterback Hank Brown to come into the game, prematurely ending Gronowski’s evening.
Brown’s maiden Hawkeye drive stalled out at the Albany 36, but that was more than enough range for Stevens, who drilled a 55-yarder, his career-long, to pad the Iowa lead, 27-7.
The Hawkeyes continued to impose their will after that, with third-year running back Jazuin Patterson, who totaled 40 yards on the drive. Brown punctuated the victory with a one-yard touchdown on a QB sneak, his first in the black and gold.
Hank to the 🏠@Hankb_15 x #Hawkeyes
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) August 31, 2025
Up next
The Hawkeyes return to action on Sept. 6 for a road matchup with in-state rival Iowa State. The Cyclones, ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press poll, are off to a 2-0 start, highlighted by an impressive victory over No. 17 Kansas State in Ireland on Aug. 23.
Kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. at Jack Trice Stadium.