There’s a lot of talk about honor in college ball. Football seems to have its own sense of morality, one that is as loose and forgiving as it is cruel and unfair. There are always honorable men hailed by pundits and fans alike. The Man of the Year award winners, the Mike Leaches and the Lee Corsos, the Nick Sabans and the Kirk Herbstreits. When looking back on Iowa football, I can think of no man who embodies this sense of honor more than Kirk Ferentz. In my limited life experience, I have found
that most strong, confident, and honorable men all possess one trait in common: stubbornness. And, as I am sure you are all aware: there is no man more stubborn in the state of Iowa than Kirk Ferentz. Iowa’s win over UMass was many things. A sigh of relief to some, a breath of fresh air to many, and ultimately a wonderful night to celebrate Kirk Ferentz’s record-breaking 206th win. Most importantly, though, Iowa’s win over UMass was dishonorable.
Save for rivalries or championship games, blowing out your opponent is rarely received in a positive light. Blowing out your opponent by 40 is especially taboo. Blowing out an opponent who had lost to FCS Bryant by 40 points at home? That’s just rude. But the air around this win was different. Together, this fandom seemed to all relax into their recliners, crack open their beers, and sigh all in harmonious rhythm. This game was dishonorable in almost every measure, but frankly, good. God knows we’ve earned it.
So, after proving that this football team can in fact play at a high level on both sides of the ball, what’s next? The Hawks travel to Piscataway with a fire lit under them and a clear expectation set: keep it rolling. But one question remains.
How?
THE OFFENSE
We’re… back(?)
We’re three games into Mark Gronowski’s Iowa career and, as painful as it is to admit, we’ve only received about 5 1/2 quarters of acceptable QB play. Thankfully, 3 of those quarters came against UMass. Gronowski came out swinging on the first two drives of the game before settling into a decent passing rhythm, maintaining the offense and leading multiple scoring drives. Gronowski didn’t just have a great day in the air (passing for 179 yards and breaking the 100 yard mark for the first time in his Iowa career), he also managed to rush for 12 yards and a TD. Notably, Gronowski also did not throw an interception, though he was responsible for a fumble on a pretty egregiously bad play. To truly judge Gronowski’s performance, however, we have to run it through the Bench-O-Meter.
THE BENCH-O-METER – Current Status: Spencer Petras
Last Week’s requirements: 150yds passing, 50yds rushing, 3 All-Purpose TDs.
Gronowski’s performance against UMass: 179yds passing, 12 yds rushing, 3 All-Purpose TDs.
Gronowski had a good game against UMass. Not a great game, but a good one nonetheless. He didn’t make many stupid mistakes, progressed through his reads effectively, and scored relentlessly. For everyone who watched Brown throw a touchdown in garbage time and thought he was the answer to all of our previous woes: expect disappointment. Kirk is both loved and hated for his loyalty to his QB1s, and with an effective performance against UMass, it seems clear that Gronowski is here to stay. Barring some Shakespearean tragedy or horrific on-field meltdown, expect to #11 under center.
Familiar Faces and Disappointing Losses
Following a premature exit in the first quarter against Albany due to an undisclosed injury, Kamari Moulton has finally returned to the RB room. Iowa’s week 1 starter, Kamari is expected to return to his role as RB1 against Rutgers. Considering the excellent play of the RBs in his stead, however, Kamari will have a lot of ground to make up as veteran Jaz Patterson and Sophomore Terrell Washington Jr. seek to compete for the leading role. As Moulton returns to the lineup, however, true Freshman RB Xavier Williams exits due to a shoulder injury. Iowa’s leading rusher this year with 186 yards and a TD, Williams’ exit comes to the disappointment of most of the Iowa faithful. Still, there’s little to worry about with this room. And, with RVZ’s return still weeks away, Moulton should expect plenty of snaps to go to the RBs.
THE DEFENSE
Maintain… maintain…
Last week I said the main goal for this defensive unit should be to simply settle in and prepare for a long season. Against UMass, they seemingly managed this goal. Despite giving up some big plays in the first, including a spectacular rushing touchdown from UMass QB Grant Jordan, overall the defense played rather well, keeping UMass to less than 130 yards and a single score. Disappointingly, this defense has yet to come up with a turnover, be it a fumble or interception. Going on the road against Rutgers, the main objective really shouldn’t change. Keep your head down, play a good clean game, and hopefully walk away with a turnover. Considering the rate at which Athan Kaliakmanis throws the ball for the Scarlet Knights, and considering his history against Iowa, this shouldn’t be too difficult. Right?
Right?
For the love of God, keep your heads down!
It’s no secret that injuries have scarred this Iowa team so far. Thankfully, most of these injuries are seemingly isolated to one side of the ball. Losing multiple offensive starters is never good, and in an already thin offense, it can completely derail a team. Losing defensive starters is like taking that derailed train, setting it on fire, and then extinguishing the fire just to light it on fire again. So, as Iowa prepares to take on its last “get-right” game of the season, there should really be only one goal for this game: Don’t. Get. Hurt. Iowa has a gauntlet for a schedule, and later in the season when this team is bouncing from Oregon, PSU, and USC, it will be imperative to have not only a strong defense, but a healthy one.
Iowa has a very tough road ahead of them, one that will not be made any easier by the level of play presented by the Hawks so far. In order to have any shot at making it out of the 2025 bloodbath alive, things have to improve, and they have to improve fast. Rutgers is the last stop before the season truly goes underway, and Iowa desperately needs it. A valiant win on the road could bring enough momentum to topple Indiana next week. Or an upset loss away from home could sow the seeds of destruction against Cignetti.
