The Hawkeyes are scuffling after another loss to a ranked team following a 20-15 loss to Indiana during Homecoming last Saturday.
Iowa's offense had another slow start in the loss to Indiana and suffered an even more significant loss after quarterback Mark Gronowski limped off the field early in the fourth quarter and did not return.
The Iowa offensive unit has struggled to stay healthy this season, losing multiple key players along the way, including starting running back Kamari Moulton, who has since returned, and now Mark Gronowski.
Iowa suffered a key loss to the tight end group when starting tight end Addison Ostrenga was injured during the Cy-Hawk rivalry game in Ames at the beginning of September.
Iowa has turned to a combination of Zach Ortwerth, Hayden Large, and DJ Vonnahme to replace Ostrenga.
Redshirt freshman DJ Vonnahme has been a pleasant surprise for the Iowa offense after being forced into action following Ostrenga's injury.
On Iowa's past few depth charts, Vonnahme has been listed as the No. 3 tight end behind Ortwerth and Large, but has continued to make an impact in the passing game.
During Iowa's past few games, Vonnahme has been targeted nine times, including seven times last Saturday against Indiana.
Vonnahme has effectively replaced Hayden Large as the backup tight end, and his target share has continued to increase each week.
The Iowa program is known for producing great tight ends, and while it is still early in Vonnahme's career, the fact that he is racking up catches and seeing more snaps on offense is a great sign for him and the program.
Overall, this season, Vonnahme has 51 receiving yards on seven receptions, and he has continued to make a positive impact in the passing game with his size and catching ability.