Iowa QB Reveals Mindset After Win vs. UMass

The 2-1 Iowa Hawkeyes are led by senior QB Mark Gronowski. The Illinois native may not be the most explosive quarterback in college football, but his Week 3 performance was a much-needed reminder of how talented he can be. HC Kirk Ferentz relies heavily on the Hawkeyes' run game, but Gronowski went out and proved that the team can build the game plan around his arm.

No. 11 went 16/24 for 179 yards and a pair of touchdowns against UMass. It marked back-to-back weeks of him throwing exactly 24 passes. The week before, he completed three fewer throws as he finished with just 83 passing yards. Gronowski's Week 3 performance saw him finish with more passing yards than he had in the first two weeks combined.

Eliot Clough of 247Sports caught up with the Hawkeyes QB as he looked back on his performance against the Minutemen, "I felt a lot more confident going into the game, allowing myself to play free, and understanding that at the end of the day it is just a game. I've got to go be myself, and I've done it before. I've done it before and I can do it again."

"I 100% needed it, and I think the team needed it, as well," Gronowski said. "Continuing to be confident in myself and the guys around me is going to help us. Allowing those guys that are the playmakers on our team -- and giving them opportunities to make plays for us is going to be a huge part of Big Ten Conference play."

He added, "I was really excited heading into the game last week, because Coach (Tim) Lester said that we were going to throw the ball a little bit more to start out drives and take a couple more shots downfield. We saw that on the first couple plays. We had a 45-yard pass and a 20-yard touchdown pass. To have that and kind of light up the excitement in the stadium, have our defense gain some more belief in our offense and know that we can make those big plays -- I think it gave a lot of encouragement to the guys around us."

Gronowski, the South Dakota State transfer, played four seasons with the Jackrabbits. He threw for just 1,584 yards in 2020, a number that rose to 2,967 the next season. His best year was in 2023 where he was extremely efficient. Gronowski averaged 10 yards per attempt as he finished with a career high 3,058 passing yards and 29 touchdowns with just five interceptions.

One of the main things the former Jackrabbits QB has yet to get going is his ability to escape the pocket. He's averaging a career low 2.7 yards per carry so far this season. Even though it's with a small sample size, he sits at 33 carries for 88 yards. With three rushing touchdowns, Gronowski is looking to get back to the 12 he had in 2022 or the 10 he had last season. So far, Iowa's QB is responsible for six touchdowns with just one interception this season.

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