With the highly anticipated showdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes just three short days away, it is time to look back at Iowa’s past performances to ready ourselves for what the Hawks will bring to Piscataway. In this edition of the Opponent Film Room, I will be looking at Iowa’s 16-13 loss to a ranked Iowa State team and Iowa’s dominant win over Joe Harasymiak’s UMass team. Although the Cyclones are closer in competition to the Scarlet Knights, Iowa put some things on tape against the Minutemen that
are worth watching out for as well.
Starting with the in-state showdown against then #16 Iowa State, the Cyclones were firing on all cylinders with an opening win against Kansas State in Ireland and a flattening of FCS South Dakota, while the Hawkeyes were coming off a comfortable yet uninspiring victory over FCS UAlbany. This was a much bigger test for both programs, and Big Noon Kickoff was accordingly at Jack Trice Stadium for the Cy-Hawk rivalry game.
In typical Iowa fashion, the Hawkeyes had a very difficult time moving the football in the first quarter, with three straight punts and a total of five yards gained on their first three drives. But also in typical Iowa fashion, their defense held them in the game, holding Iowa State to back-to-back field goals to end the first quarter down 6-0.
However, Iowa capitalized on a Cyclone miscue, with Iowa State returner Xavier Townsend badly attempting to catch the third punt, which ended up bouncing off him and in the direction of the Hawkeyes. This gave Iowa a short field, which they capitalized on with a field goal to cut the deficit to 6-3 early in the second quarter.
The Hawkeyes and Cyclones traded punts to start the second quarter, before ISU’s Jeremiah Cooper took advantage of Iowa’s receiver slipping on a pass from quarterback Mark Gronowski. Cooper jumped the route and returned the interception 24 yards and inside the Iowa red zone. Iowa State cashed in, with Rocco Becht connecting with Benjamin Brahmer for the game’s first touchdown.
However, Iowa answered back with a lengthy scoring drive of its own. Behind the efforts of running back Jaziun Patterson and Mark Gronowski finding receivers through the air and using his legs, the Hawkeyes marched down the field and capped off their drive with a Gronowski two-yard rushing touchdown. The Iowa rushing attack will be one to watch for, with the Scarlet Knights struggling to contain both running backs and mobile quarterbacks. On this play, Mark Gronowski used his size and strength to take the designed run into the end zone, which is something the Scarlet Knights should be aware of, as Gronowski has scored rushing touchdowns in each of his first three games.
After the Cyclones took a 13-10 lead into the locker room, the Iowa defense forced Iowa State into a three-and-out on their opening drive of the second half. The Hawkeyes put together another long scoring drive, with Gronowski once again mixing his passing and running, including a 22-yard pass to Jacob Gill to get the Hawks out of the shadow of their own end zone. The drive eventually stalled out in field goal range, but Iowa kicker Drew Stevens evened the score at 13 with about four minutes and thirty seconds left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, each team strung together some plays on offense but were forced to punt, flipping the field and pinning the other team deep in their own territory. When the Cyclones got the football back, they smartly took time off the clock, stringing run and pass plays together before the drive stalled at the Iowa 35-yard line. Iowa State kicker Kyle Konrardy was once again the deciding factor, hitting the game-winning field goal from 54 yards out. Konrardy gave the Cyclones a 20-19 win at Kinnick Stadium last year and did so once again in Ames.
The Hawkeyes got a chance to bounce back in front of their home crowd when lowly UMass came to Kinnick a week later. This time, Iowa opened up the playbook, building confidence in its passing attack with Gronowski finding Sam Phillips down the sideline for a 45-yard gain through the air.
One play later, the South Dakota State transfer found Seth Anderson on a strike over the middle for a 20-yard touchdown. Although the level of competition is a huge step below Rutgers and Iowa State, it forces the Scarlet Knights to respect the Iowa passing attack more than would be necessary in the past.
After UMass punted following a three-and-out on its opening possession, the Hawkeyes took advantage of a short field and continued to open up their offense. The drive ended with Gronowski hitting Seth Anderson on a rollout pass for his second touchdown of the game. The Scarlet Knights will have to contend with a quarterback who is comfortable throwing on the run, as Ohio’s quarterback Parker Navarro operated well under similar conditions.
Iowa would later repeat this action on the right side of the field, with Gronowski hitting KJ Parker for his first collegiate touchdown. This would be the final touchdown of the game to give the Hawkeyes a 47-7 win and Kirk Ferentz’s record-setting 206th win, the most by any Big Ten head coach all-time.
Late in the second quarter, Gronowski showed off his wheels, taking a quarterback draw up the middle and in for an Iowa touchdown from 13 yards out. Schiano compared Mark to Johnny Langan, and it is not hard to see why, as although neither is the fastest, both showcased their strength and mobility through their runs. On this play, Gronowski bounced off a couple of defenders and barreled into the end zone to push the Hawkeyes’ lead to 23.
One player that will have the attention of the Scarlet Knights is Kaden Wetjen. Wetjen made his presence felt as a runner and returner, giving the UMass defense fits all night. He started with a 20-yard house call on a well-designed end-around, which saw Wetjen take the handoff, find the hole, cut to the outside, and dive for the pylon for the Hawkeyes’ touchdown.
But Wetjen’s biggest play came on a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown. After UMass punter Keegan Andrew sent a booming punt back to the 5-yard line, Wetjen made the catch over his shoulder and quickly cut across the field before cutting back towards the middle of the field and turning on the jets for an incredible touchdown run.
In a relatively evenly matched game, a big special teams play could influence the outcome. Between Rutgers’ propensity for blocking punts and Iowa’s penchant for long returns as seen above, whoever comes up with a splash play in the third phase of the game could leave SHI Stadium as the winner.
And we cannot forget about Iowa’s defense. After holding a ranked Iowa State team to just 16 points, the Hawkeyes suffocated UMass, only allowing one touchdown. The Hawkeyes’ defensive line put tons of pressure on AJ Hairston, who went just 4-8 with 56 passing yards.
With all of that analyzed, this matchup will come down to a few different things. Similar to the Rutgers-Miami (OH) game, it will put strength against strength and weakness against weakness. The Scarlet Knights’ offense has been firing on all cylinders for three weeks straight, but this week it runs into a Hawks defense that ranks second nationally in yards per game allowed and 13th in points per game.
Injuries certainly do not help the Scarlet Knights. Although we will likely not know until hours before kickoff, wide receiver Ian Strong did not play in the Norfolk State game, and Schiano did not guarantee his return for the Iowa game, saying that it would depend on how he is feeling injury-wise. Running back CJ Campbell Jr. and left tackle Tyler Needham were also injured in the game against the Spartans, and the offensive tackle position is a particularly concerning one for Rutgers, with multiple starting-caliber players already out for the season.
On the flip side, the surprisingly maligned Rutgers defense, which has been susceptible to a variety of big plays, both through the air and most notably through the ground, will take on the Hawkeyes’ weaker offense. Although it may be somewhat improved from previous years, Gronowski has not looked the part of what was expected when he transferred in from South Dakota State. Iowa has been reluctant to throw the ball, although that began to change against an awful UMass defense. It is worth noting that Joe Harasymiak runs a similar scheme to what Rutgers runs, and the extra week of preparation may make a difference on both sides.
Gronowski has shown his athleticism as a runner, while running backs Jaziun Patterson and Xavier Williams provide a solid duo that can pick up chunk yardage on the ground behind a solid offensive line. Throwing in Wetjen and Nathan McNeil in the ground game and several capable receivers, it will be interesting to see how Iowa chooses to attack this Rutgers defense.
The game should come down to which team can establish its playing style. If Iowa can limit the Rutgers offense, force field goals and punts, and grind out long scoring drives of their own, which presumably would be led by the potent ground game against a Scarlet Knights defense that is allowing six yards per carry, then they would have the advantage and likely win the game. If they can also mix in some play-action or downfield shots, that would keep the Rutgers defense on its toes, and they would likely be able to find the holes in the Knights’ coverage.
If Rutgers can mix their own pass and run game to keep the Hawks’ defense honest, they should be able to build a lead and force Iowa to play from behind. Although Eric O’Neill, Bradley Weaver, and the rest of Rutgers’ defensive line have had quiet starts to the season, the pass rush should be able to pin their ears back and get after Gronowski in obvious passing situations. The Scarlet Knights have the pieces to win a shootout this year, especially against a team like Iowa, and if they can get their offense going early, they should be able to hang on, win the game, and improve to 4-0 on the season for the second consecutive year.
The Hawkeyes have long been considered to be an upper-tier Big Ten team, and the Scarlet Knights have not been able to compete at their level in the first four tries. Finally beating Iowa would earn Rutgers more respect in the Big Ten and nationally, get the Scarlet Knights one game closer to bowl eligibility, and give Rutgers momentum heading into its first road games of the season coming up. The Scarlet Knights took down Washington for the first time in program history in last year’s blackout game, and they have what it takes to defeat the Hawkeyes for the first time if they can execute their style of football well on Friday night.
