Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Louis Moore (7) tackles Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kamari Moulton (28) Sept. 27, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa Proving They Can Compete With Anyone

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI
By Jordon Lawrenz | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Most Iowa Hawkeyes fans will tell you that Indiana would've lost had quarterback Mark Gronowski not gone down with an injury. Gronowski's injury proved to be costly as it forced backup QB Hank Brown to lead the team to victory. He had a chance to do so, but ultimately fell short. A missed field goal didn't help his case, but Brown did everything in his power to avoid a loss.

In the end, No. 11 Indiana came out on top, 20-15. In reality, it was 20-13 as their last second safety was self-inflicted. Regardless, this loss for Iowa goes in the record book as a five-point defeat. They went into halftime tied, 10-10. While there were plenty of areas that need improvement, Iowa's performance against Indiana proved they can compete with anyone.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this game was Iowa's ability to stop Indiana on fourth down. They did it on three separate occasions, two of which being massive turning points in the game. While the Hoosiers had 386 total yards, they held Heisman candidate QB Fernando Mendoza to just 233 yards. The Hawkeyes defense shone bright by forcing him to throw his first interception of the season.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz executed his gameplan as Iowa held the ball for 32:42. Despite having the ball for over five more minutes, Iowa couldn't come out with a win. They fall to 0-11 against their last 11 ranked opponents, a winless streak that could be snapped in the next few weeks.

A crucial roughing the passer penalty was called towards the end of the first half which allowed Indiana to add a field goal. Iowa missed their kick in the final two-minutes as that six-point swing proved to be the difference. There were plenty of other missed tackles, dropped passes, and everything in-between that contributed to the Hawkeyes loss.

Looking ahead, Iowa enjoys a Week 6 Bye. They sit at 3-2 (1-1) with both of their losses being to AP Top 25 opponents. When they come back from having October 4 off, Iowa will head to Wisconsin and then host No. 3 Penn State and Minnesota. From there, they'll have November 1 off before playing their final four games of the season. Two of their last four games are against ranked opponents.

As it stands, Iowa is scheduled to face No. 3 Penn State, No. 6 Oregon, and No. 21 USC. They host the Nittany Lions and Ducks, two crucial home games against Top 10 opponents. It remains to be seen where each team will be ranked by October 18 and November 8, but regardless, Iowa knows their toughest competition is yet to come.

This article first appeared on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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