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The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan
The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Three Observations | Iowa blows out UMass in non-conference finale

Mark Gronowski and the passing game showed some life in the first half, while Kaden Wetjen recorded a historic day in the return game.
Brad Schultz, Sports Editor
September 13, 2025
Samantha DeFily
Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski throws the ball during a football game between Iowa and the University of Massachusetts at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. Going into halftime, the Hawkeyes lead the Minutemen 30-7.

As Mark Gronowski crossed the goal line for his third touchdown of the night, he couldn’t help but jump for joy.

Hawkeye fans hoped Gronowski would be the man to turn around their notorious misfortunes at the quarterback position. Expectations were not met after two weeks, but Iowa fans put them on hold after Gronowski and the passing offense recorded two passing touchdowns on each of their first two possessions.

The fast start allowed the Hawkeyes to roll to a 47-7 victory, but the game on the field was not the story on Saturday. Iowa’s victory was the 206th of head coach Kirk Ferentz’s illustrious career and allowed him to surpass Woody Hayes as the all-time winningest head coach in Big Ten history.

[Football] takes a lot of people,” Ferentz said after the game. “There’s no team sport like football. There’s so many people involved. And I’ve been so fortunate to work with so many outstanding coaches through the years.”

1. Passing attack finds a rhythm 

It didn’t take long for Gronowski and the offense to find success through the air. Iowa did not try to take shots against Iowa State last weekend, but offensive coordinator dialed up a play-action pass. After a pump-fake, Gronowski dropped the ball right in Sam Phillips’ arms for a 45-yard completion, Iowa’s longest of the season up to that point.

But the Hawkeyes weren’t done.

On the ensuing play, Gronowski found wide receiver Seth Anderson for a 20-yard score on a run-pass-option, Anderson’s first receiving touchdown of the season. The play produced a loud crowd pop in Kinnick Stadium, giving the offense-starved fanbase something to cheer about.

“We were talking about it all week that we needed to start fast and last week, we didn’t start fast on our first drives, so it was a big emphasis in practice, just to continue to keep up the tempo all throughout practice this week,” Gronowski said. “And we showed it on that first drive.”

Gronowski and the offense continued to make plays through the air on the next drive, but it appeared they would fall just short of the end zone. Poor red zone offense has been a major factor in the Hawkeyes’ offensive failures over the last few seasons, but Gronowski found a wide-open Anderson at the front pylon for a touchdown. Gronowski had collected 96 passing yards to that point, surpassing his totals from both the Albany and Iowa State games (44 vs. Albany, 83 vs. Iowa State).

Iowa switched to a run-heavy offensive game plan in the second half due to its big lead, but Gronowski still totaled an impressive final stat line. The senior completed 16 of his 24 passing attempts for 179 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding another score on the ground.

2. Wetjen’s bounce-back day 

The first words uttered out of Kaden Wetjen’s mouth at Tuesday player availability were simple.

“Just flush it and move on.”

Those words sprinkled through the entire Iowa team on Saturday, but Wetjen produced one of the most dominant return performances of the young college football season. This came one week after his rough outing in Ames, where he collected negative-seven punt return yards and just 55 kick return yards on three attempts.

Flash-forward to Saturday’s game, and the senior totaled 236 all-purpose yards and a 95-yard punt return touchdown.

If that wasn’t enough, Wetjen also totaled a 20-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter as a wide receiver, showcasing his ability to make plays in different areas of the field.

 

But the highlight of Wetjen’s evening was undoubtedly his ridiculous punt return touchdown early in the third quarter. The official scorer called it a 95-yard return, but it might as well have been over 100 yards.

UMass punter Keegan Andrews’ punt drifted inside the 10, but that didn’t sway Wetjen from trying to make a play. After bursting through the open hole, the senior slithered through multiple tackles on the right side and ventured into the end zone for an incredible touchdown.

Wetjen’s performance will go down in the history books as one of the most electrifying special teams games in recent memory. His 95-yard punt return tied an Iowa and Big Ten record and was the longest punt return in the 96-year history of Kinnick Stadium.

“My first thought process is catch the ball and go no matter how close the guys are and whatnot,” Wetjen said. “But I kind of, I might peak a couple times to see how far the guys are, but when you have a punter like him, he had a strong leg tonight, so wasn’t really worried about guys being too close to me when I caught it.”

3. Inconsistent day for Stevens 

Drew Stevens has been a model of consistency for the Hawkeyes in his career, but the senior kicker had several uncharacteristic misses against the Minutemen. Following Iowa’s second touchdown of the game, Stevens clanked the extra point off the left upright, marking only the second missed PAT of his career. In fact, the ball was struck so hard that it ricocheted into Steven’s arms, which caused a UMass defender to nearly tackle him.

Later in the half, with the Hawkeyes leading 23-7, Stevens missed a 38-yard attempt, which is only the second time he has missed from inside 39 yards in his career. The fourth-year did record a 54-yarder earlier in the quarter, but Saturday’s contest was the first time Stevens has missed two or more field goals in a game since 2023.

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