By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Mark Gronowski reportedly was given a hefty seven-figure NIL deal to be Iowa’s starting quarterback for the 2025 season, and good for him.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz must feel that Gronowski is worth the investment or he wouldn’t have signed off on it.

Gronowski was brought in to help fix a position that has mostly performed woefully in recent seasons.

He was brought in to provide stability at quarterback and to help make Iowa’s offense more balanced and more productive.

And he was brought in to help win games like the one coming up on Saturday between Iowa and Iowa State in Ames.

Gronowski’s Hawkeye debut left much to be desired as he only passed for 44 yards in last Saturday’s 34-7 victory over UAlbany at Kinnick Stadium.

His passing woes didn’t really matter, though, because Iowa probably could have defeated UAlbany, which was a 39.5 underdog, just by simply running the ball.

But that certainly won’t be the case on Saturday when Iowa faces the 2-0 Cyclones, who are ranked in both polls and have wins over Kansas State and South Dakota by scores of 24-21 and 55-7, respectively.

Gronowski won’t have to be the second-coming of Chuck Long, or even Nate Stanley for that matter.

But he also can’t be a liability, nor can he let Iowa State junior quarterback Rocco Becht out-play him by a wide margin.

Because if that were to happen, it’s hard to see Iowa beating the Cyclones for a seventh straight time in Ames.

For a quarterback, pressure goes with the territory, and there will certainly be pressure on Gronowski to earn his NIL money against the Cyclones.

This is the kind of game in which Gronowski was brought in to make a significance difference.

Gronowski played in some big games during his four seasons as a starter for South Dakota State as he led the Jackrabbits to two FCS national titles.

However, nothing against FCS football, but the challenge facing Gronowski on Saturday in Ames will be a whole different level with better players, more fans in the seats and more hype.

Gronowski said he was probably too pumped up for the UAlbany game because it was his Hawkeye debut and he wanted to please his new fan base so much that it might have hurt his performance.

He admitted to being nervous, but he also expects to be nervous heading into the Iowa State game.

“Just the feeling of how much I want to succeed for everyone,” Gronowski said. “I think it’s more if I wasn’t nervous than I don’t really like football almost. I just think it’s how much love and how much passion for the game that I want to be successful for the guys around me, and for the fans as well.

“So, I just think putting that on me kind of made me want to play to the best of my ability, and that maybe hurt me a little big in the (Albany) game. I always kind of have those butterflies going into games. When you have that passion and love for the game, that’s just how it’s going to be. But just being able to play through that and play confident through that is the biggest thing.”

Gronowski will have to find that delicate balance between being fired up and eager to compete and being too fired up to where it has a negative impact on his performance as was the case against UAlbany.

And while he showcased his running skills against UAlbany by gaining 39 yards on the ground, the risk of injury increases significantly with a running quarterback.

South Dakota State relied heavily on Gronowski’s running skills, but Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz would prefer to limit that part of his game.

“It gives you one more dimension and gives something for the opponent to have to worry about,” Kirk Ferentz said of having a running quarterback. “You have to have a guy who can do it a little bit, too, and Mark, we were confident. He ran really hard at his last school.

“Our plans are not to run him that much, but it’s nice to have that in your repertoire certainly.”

Part of the challenge for Gronowski will be to stay patient in the pocket as his receivers work to get open. He will have to work through his progressions and withstand the temptation to run.

“I’ve got to be able to sit in there and deliver throws,” Gronowski said. “One of the last games I played at South Dakota State I think I ran 19 times.

“So, I don’t think we need to be doing that. We’ve got some great running backs as well, and they’re going to be able to make plays for us.”

Gronowski has a 50-6 record as a college quarterback. He also finished his South Dakota State career tied the record for most career wins by an FCS quarterback.

That is certainly a worthy accomplishment and something of which to proud.

But it won’t mean much on Saturday in Ames because Gronowski only has one win as a Hawkeye and it came against an FCS opponent that was a massive underdog and in a game in which he mostly struggled.

This year’s Iowa-Iowa State matchup looks pretty even on paper.

The road team has won the last five games in the series, so Gronowski can take some comfort from that statistic.

Saturday’s game will have much more riding on it than just state bragging rights for the next year.

The team that loses would suffer a severe blow to its chance of making the 12-team playoff because a 10-2 record would likely be the cut off for both teams.

If Iowa were to lose on Saturday, Gronowski and his cohorts would almost certainly have to finish no worse than 9-1 over the last 10 games just to have a chance to make the playoff.

A victory on Saturday would also make Kirk Ferentz the Big Ten’s all-time winningest head coach. He is currently tied for first place with Woody Hayes with 205 career win.

But it seems highly unlikely that Kirk Ferentz has used his chance to make history as a motivational tactic because that just isn’t his style.

The Iowa players are well aware that their head coach is on the verge of making history, so they don’t need to be reminded about it because there is already enough pressure from just trying to win the game to stay in the playoff hunt.

That same pressure will also be on the Cyclones, who haven’t defeated Iowa in Ames since 2011.

Gronowski hopes to accomplish what his father, former Drake quarterback Ray Gronowski, pulled off in 1985 when he led the Bulldogs to a 20-17 win over Iowa State in Ames.

Iowa State wasn’t nearly as good 40 years ago as it is now, but a win over your instate rival still is special under any circumstance.

“He talks about it a little bit, but I haven’t talked to him at all this week,” Mark Gronowski said Tuesday. “But I’m sure once I talk to him, he’s going to mention it a lot.”

As difficult as it is to pick a winner for this game, especially since home-field advantage has had little impact, Iowa State looks slightly better on paper and has looked significantly better on the field.

The law of averages also might be on Iowa State’s side in that maybe it’s just time for the home team to finally win again.

Prediction: Iowa State 23, Iowa 20

 

Iowa (1-0) vs. Iowa State (2-0)

When: Saturday, 11:10 a.m.

Where: Ames, Jack Trice Stadium (61,500)

TV: FOX

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network

Series: Iowa holds a 47-24 advantage, including 22-8 in games played in Ames.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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