When an off week rolls around in the Big Ten football season, a mixed reaction usually follows.
Fans express disappointment in not seeing their team play for two weeks. The team is both happy to get some much-needed rest and recovery while also nervous that the idle week could slow down its momentum.
For the 3-2 Iowa Hawkeyes, the week off presented an opportunity for reflection and improvement ahead of a challenging three-game slate against Wisconsin, Penn State, and Minnesota.
“We’ll get back on our feet Monday, and hopefully use this week really wisely,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said after Iowa’s 20-15 loss to Indiana on Sept. 27. “And then we’ll turn our attention to the next three-game block and go from there.”
There are plenty of things to deal with, especially on offense and on special teams.
Gronowski and the offense overcomes slow start
Much of Iowa’s preseason hype focused on quarterback Mark Gronowski. The fifth-year senior came to the Hawkeyes with an impressive resume from South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits were already an FCS powerhouse when Gronowski arrived in 2020, but he elevated Brookings, South Dakota into a championship town by the end of his career.
Gronowski was a model of consistency for South Dakota State, totaling more than 10,000 career passing yards, 96 touchdowns, and just 22 interceptions. The Jackrabbits won back-to-back national championships in 2022 and 2023 and just missed out on playing for a three-peat last season.
Gronowski decided to enter the transfer portal after last season. The senior received numerous offers, including one from the prestigious Miami Hurricanes. But Gronowski felt the Hawkeyes were the perfect fit, and he announced his commitment on Jan. 7.
Iowa fans had high expectations for Gronowski and the passing game, which has featured a revolving door of quarterbacks over the last few campaigns. Gronowski’s first two games saw those fears from fans again come to light.
Gronowski had just 44 passing yards in the season opener against Albany — the lowest output of his college career. Offensive coordinator Tim Lester didn’t have an open game plan, but Gronowski struggled to complete easy throws, often missing wide-open targets throughout the game.
Those problems continued into Iowa’s rivalry game against Iowa State on Sept. 6. Gronowski showed some flashes of improvement, but had few answers for the Cyclones’ defensive attack in the 16-13 loss. The Hawkeyes had a chance to tie the game in the final minutes, but Gronowski’s final drive totaled minus-5 yards.
Gronowski’s numbers did improve that game, but only marginally — 13 of 24, 83 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception. While Hawkeye fans groaned roars of apathy from their Lay-Z-Boy recliners, Gronowski’s outlook remained positive.
“I really came into this game a lot more confident, a lot more calm, was able to make a lot better decisions throughout the game,” Gronowski said after the game. “We were running a ton of [run-pass options] just trying to attack those safeties, and we’re trying to get aggressive in the run game.”
Three games later, Gronowski has turned that optimistic mindset into points. Iowa scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions in a 47-7 win over a bad Massachusetts team, but the senior’s performance in the Big Ten opener at Rutgers on Sept. 19 drew plenty of praise.
Gronowski completed 12 of 18 passes for 186 yards, but it was his work on the ground that helped the Hawkeyes secure the comeback victory. The quarterback had 55 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came in the fourth quarter.
Gronowski continued his efficiency into a showdown with No. 11 Indiana, going 19 of 25 for 144 yards and an interception, but went down with a knee injury early in the fourth quarter and wouldn’t return, forcing backup Hank Brown into the game.
Entering a game in the fourth quarter against a top-15 team is a difficult spot for any quarterback, and it showed, as Brown completed just 5 of his 13 passing attempts for 48 yards and a back-breaking interception in Hoosiers territory.
Brown said he was disappointed with his performance and stressed the need to hone in on his fundamentals during the break.
“I think I definitely left some stuff out there, but definitely an opportunity to grow from it and learn from it,” Brown said after the game. “This bye week will be a great opportunity.”
Lester agreed with Brown’s reaction, emphasizing the need for development.
“Any quarterback that goes in there for the first time just needs to calm down and relax a little bit. And I thought he did that. He made some good plays, but he’s got to improve,” Lester said at his press conference on Sept. 30.
The extent of Gronowski’s injury remains unknown, but his improved play has left the offense in a much better position coming out of the bye week. Iowa ranks 114th in the nation in total offense, but anyone who has watched the Hawkeyes likely sees they are closer to being a well-rounded unit than a bad one.
Gronowski’s prognosis will play a significant role in Lester’s game plan, but Iowa feels it has a deeper quarterback room this season. Brown logged three games of Southeastern Conference action with Auburn, including one start against New Mexico, where he threw for 235 yards and four touchdowns.
The wild-card in the room is redshirt freshman Jeremy Hecklinski, who transferred in from Wake Forest in the offseason, following former Demon Deacons offensive coordinator and current Iowa offensive analyst Warren Ruggiero to Iowa City.
Should Gronowski be out for an extended period of time, the Hawkeyes would likely turn to either Brown or Hecklinski to lead the offense. Lester expressed his confidence in each of his young quarterbacks, and like Brown, used the off week to help them get comfortable with the offensive system.
“This is a fun week for me to have those guys take a ton of reps and see where they’re at,” Lester said. “And they both need them because they don’t get as many as the other guys that have been on the scout field. These guys are getting a ton of reps this week, and just to see the improvement that we’re going to need.”
Whether it’s Gronowski, Brown, or Hecklinski under center, Lester is confident in his supporting cast of pass-catchers. The Hawkeyes have struggled to find consistent production at wide receiver for years, but Lester feels he has found a productive wide receiver group with Sam Phillips, Jacob Gill, Seth Anderson, and Reece Vander Zee, who Lester hopes will make his season debut this weekend against Wisconsin.
Generating catches for each receiver on the field is one of the many keys to orchestrating a balanced offensive attack, and Iowa has done just that. Fifteen Hawkeyes have caught a pass this season, with three of them totaling at least 75 receiving yards through five games.
Phillips, who currently occupies Vander Zee’s spot as the X receiver, leads the group with 179 yards on 10 catches, averaging 17.9 yards per reception. The Chattanooga transfer has developed a notable connection with Gronowski, evidenced by his team-high seven targets and five catches against Indiana.
“Sam’s doing a great job in that spot. He’s getting better,” Lester said.
Lester is pleased with how the wide receivers have developed, but stressed the importance of creating more yards after the catch, which could lead to more touchdowns.
“Our depths are the proper depths. They’re making plays. I’d like to see more run after catch. It’s something we haven’t seen yet, but it’s something we’re building to,” Lester said. “It’s always the last thing that comes. So I’m proud of that room, that room’s done a good job in creating some separation, making some plays.
Special teams struggles
The Hawkeyes have been perennially dominant on special teams under coordinator LeVar Woods, but this unit has taken a step back this season. Fifth-year wide receiver Kaden Wetjen is having an big season in the return game, totaling two touchdowns, but that’s been the lone bright spot for this group.
One of the problems with this group in recent weeks has come from an unlikely source — kicker Drew Stevens. Stevens, in his fourth season, has already carved out an impressive college career after joining Iowa as a walk-on in the spring of 2022.
Stevens wasn’t expected to contribute that year after he lost the starting kicker battle to Aaron Blom, but was suddenly thrust into the lead role by Week 3 after Blom missed a game-tying field goal in the final seconds of the Hawkeyes’ 10-7 loss to Iowa State.
Aside from a late-game benching against Nebraska in 2023, Stevens has kicked every extra point and field goal for the Hawkeyes ever since. The senior has accumulated 288 career points and numerous clutch kicks for Iowa, highlighted by a game-winning 53-yard field goal against Nebraska last season.
Stevens was expected to continue his momentum from last season into his final campaign, but the last three games have seen him make uncharacteristic mistakes. The senior missed a 38-yarder and an extra point in a Week 3 win over Massachusetts, as well as a 40-yard attempt in Iowa’s victory at Rutgers the following week.
Those miscues didn’t severely impact the outcome of those games, but his costly miss in the Hawkeyes’ loss to Indiana could have. With the game tied at 13 late in the fourth quarter, Iowa defensive back Zach Lutmer returned an interception to the Hoosiers’ 29 to give the Hawkeyes a chance to take the lead.
Iowa went three-and-out on its ensuing drive, and a 42-yard field goal from Stevens seemed like a lock. The kicker had been nearly automatic from that distance up to that point, having missed just once from inside 49 yards since 2023.
The snap and hold were clean, but Stevens’ kick missed badly to the left, stunning the Kinnick Stadium crowd and keeping the game tied. Indiana connected on a 49-yard touchdown pass on its next possession to win the game and deny the Hawkeyes an upset victory.
Woods still remains confident in his kicker.
“Over the course of his career, he’s gone on and he’s made big kicks for this football team, [he] just didn’t get it done,” Woods said at his bye week press conference on Sept 30. “That to me is a one-off. That’s not Drew Stevens. It’s not the guy I know, the guy I’ve watched work and grow over the last four years.”
Woods’ face clearly showed a frustrated expression, but he attributes moments like those to failed execution from all 11 players on the field. Woods knows the brunt of the criticism falls on the kicker, similar to the quarterback, but stresses the need for cleaner execution on all phases.
Initial highlights of the missed field goal showed a clean procedure, but a closer inspection revealed that the holder, Ty Nisson, held the ball with the laces slightly facing towards Stevens. That may not seem like a big deal, but kickers stress the importance of kicking the football on its smooth side for a cleaner, crisper kick.
“There’s 10 other guys out there. There’s 10 other things, 10 other layers that go into that, in regard to any play on in football, particularly in field goals,” Woods said.
Iowa’s mistakes on special teams have also carried over to the punt team, which has yielded a blocked punt in three consecutive games. Those mistakes haven’t been directly responsible for Hawkeye defeats, but they could come back to haunt Iowa later in the season.
Woods admitted that it’s hard to stay calm and that he’s “trying to keep my blood pressure low,” but again emphasized execution in all phases of the play.
“So snap location, getting the punter pulled off his line, not great in that,” Woods said. “So that definitely doesn’t help, but again, those are some of the things that we’re looking for and we need to improve upon. Again, I don’t really attribute it to anything other than that.”