Mark Gronowski taking accountability for Iowa’s loss at Iowa State
Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski drops back to attempt a pass against Iowa State Saturday September 6, 2025 at Jack Trice Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
AMES, Iowa — After coming up short on the road against the Cyclones, the Hawkeye quarterback is focusing on cleaning up all of the mistakes and improving the offense as a whole.
Mark Gronowski isn’t happy about letting Iowa fans down in his first road game as a Hawkeye, but wants to build off the positive aspects from his performance. Although he scored Iowa’s only touchdown of the game, Gronowski felt there were plenty of plays that the offense left on the field.
From receivers dropping balls, to incomplete passes and minimal involvement from the tight ends, the signal caller’s numbers are pedestrian through two games. Gronowski has completed 21 of his 39 passes for 127 yards, a touchdown and an interception so far, and knows that production has to change before the Hawkeyes enter Big Ten play.
Leaders have to step up during times of adversity, and hold everyone accountable to avoid the finger pointing. Gronowski understands it’s his job as a captain to rally the troops, and get everyone back on the same page.
“It was really disappointing in the locker room, all of those guys played so hard, our defense played so awesome, but it was just disappointment in that locker room,” Gronowski said. “Everyone worked so throughout this offseason for games like these, and it was a close and fun game out there, we just came up short.”
Iowa (1-1) only put up 214 yards of total offense in the loss to Iowa State, which was 144 fewer than the win over Albany. Not to mention the Hawkeyes only averaged 3.4 yards per play last Saturday. However, Iowa led Iowa State in plays, rushing yards, first downs and time of possession, which is giving Gronowski motivation. He recognizes the potential of the offense in Tim Lester’s scheme, and wants to execute at a high level.
“Offensively we just gotta continue to execute better,” he said “There’s a little miscommunication of maybe one guy not doing the right assignment, and we need to make sure that we have 11 guys doing the right thing, and 11 guys executing every single play to be successful.
The fans want Gronowski to take more shots down the field, but he insists on playing within the system, and using his 6-foot-2, 235-pound frame as a battering ram to move the chains when necessary. The Illinois native has displayed great mobility, and that should add another element to the offene. Still, Gronowski’s supporting cast is going to determine how far the offense goes this fall.
Wideout Jacob Gill appears to be Gronowksi’s top target, considering he leads the Hawkeyes with six catches for 65 yards, but someone else has to emerge from the shadows. There’s too much thinking going on out there to Gronowski, and in return the offense is operating slower. Practice should help with the communication, chemistry and players knowing there assignments. Coach Kirk Ferentz thought Gronowski’s outing was solid, and expects him to be sharper in game three against Massachusetts.
“The biggest step forward was that he was a lot more comfortable as a quarterback today,” Ferentz said. “Last week, he was really pressing, so good for him to get that experience and really feel good about him moving forward.”
There’ll be a different vibe in practice leading up to game three, because the Hawkeyes now recognize where the deficiencies are. Gronowski understands what comes with the territory of being the big man on campus, including receiving the majority of the praise for wins, and all of the blame for losses. Regardless, Gronowski is confident the offense is trending up, and by polishing up the plays, there should be a different outcome at home against the Minutemen.
“I think we gotta start a little bit faster, and get the ball rolling earlier in the game to really start gaining that momentum and rhythm on offense.”
