Jan 02, 2026
3 min read
The Iowa Hawkeyes football offense picked up the day against Vanderbilt, snapping a 14-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
Leistikow's 7 thoughts on the Iowa football team's win over Vanderbilt
- Quarterback Mark Gronosky was named MVP after leading No. 23 Iowa to a victory over No.Won 14 Wanderbilled.
- Gronowski threw for a season-high 212 yards and caught three touchdowns in the final game of his college career.
- The Hawkeyes offense scored 27 points in the final 31 minutes, losing 13 games against quality opponents.
- Iowa finished the season with a 9-4 record, the team's third under Kirk Ferentz.
TAMPA, Fla.- Mark Gronowski arrived in Iowa, five years after two national championships at South Dakota State, with a reputation as a winner.
In the final game of his college career, he walked off the field at Raymond James Stadium as a ... winner.
Gronowski threw for a season-high 212 yards and three touchdowns in Iowa's No. 23 win over No. 14 Vanderbilt on Dec. 31.His performance earned him the MVP honor of the game.
On a Wednesday afternoon when the offense knew it had to win, Gronowski — whose college career ended with a 58-10 record as a starter — and the Hawkeyes answered the call.
Iowa scored 27 points in the final 31 minutes of the game, eluding point guard Diego Pavia in the second half.Yes, Iowa's offense saved the day for the Hawkeyes.
Kirk Ferentz, the Big Ten's all-time punts leader with 11, joked earlier this week that Gronowski had a rough day at practice.
"Where I go (to practice) he's going to do some things, 'Really?'"When we get on the field, we see he's a guy that everybody believes in, not just the coaches and the players,'' Ferentz said. "He competes tooth and nail out there. "A big reason we won today is obviously his leadership and his impact on the game.''
The last time Iowa came to Florida against an SEC opponent two years ago, it suffered a 35-0 loss at the hands of Tennessee.
Gonovsky and crowded end DJ Vantonahme made back-to-back performances that day.Gonovsky's 19-Yard strike to Wannahlame late in the fourth quarter place the 44-yard field mark of Drew Stevens in the third and sevente-point lead with 4:13 left a two-point lead with 4:13 left.
Gronowski and the offense got the ball back and went up 34-27, needing another touchdown to grab it.Gronowski's 9-yard run on first down set up Xavier Williams' third-and-inch run for a first down and a three-play, lolo-aligned run for the finish.
Gronowski completed 16 of 22 passes and became the most successful as a Hawkeye and the first Iowa State player to throw for 200 yards since Cade McNamara in the 2024 opener. He also rushed 10 times for 54 yards and a score, finishing with the fourth most touchdowns by a player (17) in Iowa history.
After the game, before he was awarded the game's MVP, he didn't take the stand until all five of his teammates were on the line with him.It was a satisfying finish for a team that had lost four games by a total of 15 points, all while finishing in the top 20.
"I can't thank Coach Ferentz enough for giving me the opportunity to play at the University of Iowa," Gronowski said."It's been a fantastic year. Obviously, it didn't go the way we wanted."
But that's the ending they all want.
And, oh yeah: Iowa's 0-for-13 streak against ranked opponents is about.
"It means a lot, man. We stress that this team is strong," cornerback TJ Hall."Not just this game, but every day. Start fast, finish strong. We feel that if we finally get the 'double' and win big, everyone (says) we finished the season the right way.
It's almost record day for DJ Vonnahme
Vonnachme, a freshman, is an animal.He had seven catches for 146 yards and a 21-yarder to Gronowski in the third quarter.The 146 yards were the most by an Iowa receiver since Marvin McNutt in 2011 and the second most by an end in school history.
Marv Cook's only nine catches for 159 yards in a famous 29-27 victory at Ohio State in 1987 included Cook's entry into the end zone with 2 seconds left on fourth-and-23.
"I knew there were a lot of opportunities for me to get a lot of catches based on Vanderbilt's defense, the way they left the position and didn't match up," Wonahme said."I thought everybody was going to get the ball."
Vonnahme, a former walk-on from Carroll Kuemper High School, was hit seven times and had seven catches.
"It's a challenge to get yourself in some pressure zone where you seam the ball," Vanderbilt coach Clark Lee said.
Defensive end Diego Pavia: How did Iowa approach Vandy's QB?
Questions persisted throughout the week as to how the Hawkeyes could slow down Vanderbilt's power play.
And the answer, even if it's a general answer but he teases that the Hawkeyes will make a "chaotic route" as a key word. This means that the Iowa State defense officials want to make sure that they are warned in their passes. Allowing Pavia to become a wide field.
Through the first two-plus quarters, Iowa's defensive scheme was nearly flawless.Carson Sharar used a late blitz on Vanderbilt's first possession to hit Pavia for a 9-yard loss on third-and-3. Sharar anchored another sack on Vandy's second drive.
“We started really fast, mustered a lot of energy, and got the ball rolling right away,” Sharar said."We continued to do this in the first half."
At halftime, Iowa led 14-3, and Pavia had 2 yards rushing (thanks to minus-32 on four sacks) and 110 through the air.As a team, Vanderbilt rushed for 8 yards in the first half.
Pavia pulled away in the third quarter, however, after Iowa led 21-3.Big time.
A 75-yard touchdown strike to Tre Richardson over coverage by Hall and Xavier Nwankpa quickly cut the lead to 21-10 and announced that Pavia would not go down quietly.
"That was a great ball," Hall said."I told the Vanderbilt receiver, they're the best I've seen this year. Absolutely. I was at the head of the lane, and Fabia took it all the way down the field. He's got some wheels.
"I was sick, I quit. But it was the same thing we've been saying all year, just finish it. I didn't let it get me down. I knew we had to come back and finish it."
Pavia's 11-yard rushing TD cut Iowa's lead to 31-24 with 11:19 left.
He finished 25 of 38 for 347 yards and accounted for three touchdowns (two scores, one rush) while leading the Commodores with 36 yards on the ground.
But when the day was over, the Commodores didn't have enough for Gronowski and the Iowa offense.
Give it to Iowa State D-linebacker Caden Wetjen for the weirdest play of the game
Wetjen has been Iowa's best returner all year and really delivered in the season-ending home win against Michigan State.The All-American franchise said coming into this game he'd be lucky to have a chance on the punt field, considering Vandy punted just 23 times all year in 12 games.
Vanderbilt, fearing what Wetjen might do on the second play, apparently sent linebacker Nick Haberer to the right on fourth-and-27 from their 15-yard line. But ... the foot touched the ball in the 18-yard circle, which was an illegal kick - a 5-yard penalty and a loss.
“I started running towards him,” Wetjen said. “I thought he was going to run away.I have never seen anything like that before.”
So, first-and-goal for Iowa from the Vanderbilt 10 with 45 seconds left in the first half.
"Unfortunate situation," Lee said."It was completely within the strategy of what we were trying to achieve and return the point neutral."
Iowa scored a touchdown on the next play, with Gronowski hitting Reece Vander Zee on the edge of the end zone for a 10-yard gain and a 14-3 halftime lead.
The defensive line also deserves credit for the punt gaffe.On second-and-5 from Vandy's 37, defensive tackle Aaron Graves drew a holding flag.On third-and-15 from the 27, Ethan Hurkett and Brian Allen combined for a 12-yard sack against Pavia.
The illegal punt undoubtedly changed the momentum of this game going into halftime.The Hokies missed chance after chance (more on that later) and were on the verge of giving the lead to the Cubs at halftime.Instead, the Hokies led by 11 points at halftime.
How did Mark Gronowski recover from his mistakes?
If we're going to credit another punt-gaffe-turned-Iowa touchdown, the Hawkeyes' quarterback deserves credit, too.
Trailing 7-3 with more than four minutes left in the first half, Iowa drove the ball to Vanderbilt's 49. But Kronowski fell, knocked the football loose and Vanderbilt linebacker Bryce Cowan quickly recovered it.
Gronowski is known for being built like a linebacker who plays quarterback.And his strength paid off when he was able to (somehow) break the ball away from Cowan and keep control of Iowa's 41-yard line.
“I saw his body go up with the ball and I was able to put my hand on him and put my arm on him,” Gronowski said.“You don't want to know what's going on under those piles but I fought for every inch and managed to get the ball back.
It didn't matter that Iowa had to punt two plays later.Gronowski salvaged a painful win by setting up a Rhys Dakin punt that ended up stopping a Vanderbilt punt.
Iowa upset Vanderbilt twice in the first quarter
After Vonnahme kept her balance and went 51 yards to the Vanderbilt 4-yard line on second-and-14, the Hawkeyes had a golden opportunity to score two first-quarter touchdowns.
But on the first point, Gronowski's pass was deflected by running back Xavier Williams, hit another Vanderbilt player, and was deflected by a diving Martell Heidt.
It was a deflationary play by now, almost like a double turnover when you consider the catch, making it 14-0 Iowa.
As for the game, why not just run the football?Was offensive coordinator Tim Lester guilty of being too cute?Look, Iowa came in with the No. 7 red zone offense in the country.One of the reasons this happened was because of his ability to break the trend near the goal line.
The play call was perfect.Williams was wide open and ran a short slant from the right side of the formation.If you're OC and you get a drop like that in a crowded goal line situation, you'll take it 100 times out of 100.The pass hit Williams' hands.He must catch it.It should be a light touch.
Iowa punted, but on the next possession, the Hawkeyes had third-and-2 from their 30 and running back Kamari Moulton for about 1.7 yards on the final play of the first quarter.Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, as usual, decided to punt, despite having a quarter to think about it.
Iowa punted.Vanderbilt got the ball at its own 18. The Commodores drove more than seven minutes to reach Iowa's 23 before settling for a 41-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3 with 7:49 left in the second quarter.
Should Ferentz go for a first down on his own "31.7" instead?I think so, yes.Gronowski sneaks are borderline automatic.The offense, other than that interception, controlled the game and gave up some control in that moment.
The Hawkeyes finished 9-4 for the third time under Kirk Ferentz
Perhaps surprisingly, this is only the third time in Ferentz's 27 years that Iowa has finished with exactly 9 wins.The 9-4 record matches the two shortest Hawkeyes teams to win a bowl game here in Tampa - 2008 and 2018.
The 2018 Hawkeyes ended with a 27-22 win over Mississippi State and a season point margin of plus-174 (405-231).
In 2008, the Hawkeyes finished with a 31-10 win over South Carolina and a plus-225 (394-225) mark differential on the season.
The 2025 Hawkeyes finished with a 34-27 win over Vanderbilt and a season differential of plus-169 (378-209).
In Ferentz's 27 years, only the 2002 Hawkeyes had a higher point differential (plus-228).That's crazy to think about, and it gives you a sense of how well Iowa has fared against the toughest schedule in the division.
Ferentz made sure to point out that difference as well.And he agreed, saying the win helped him draw comparisons between the 2025 and 2008 teams.He always said the 2008 team was one of his favorites.It's just this team ... and played tough opponents to get to 9-4.
"Everybody has respect for the teams that beat us in (2008) ... I see Indiana and Oregon as two of the best teams anywhere," Ferentz said, referring to the close loss to Iowa.
"The good thing about our guys is they never looked back and focused on what opportunities were in front of them. So to beat a ranked team, a ranked team, a 10-win SEC football team, it's exciting."
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikov has been with the Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network for 31 years.Chad was the 2023 INA Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and the NSMA Iowa Sports Writer of the Year.Join Chad's texting group /HawkeyesTexts.Follow @ChadLeistikow on X.
