The Iowa Hawkeyes fell to No. 19 Iowa State today in the Cy-Hawk Rivalry, and to twist the dagger even more, quarterback Mark Gronowski has set a Big Ten record, but not in a good way.
In his first two games of the season, Gronowski has thrown just 127 yards combined against Albany and now Iowa State. That stat means that he has the fewest passing yards by a Big Ten quarterback in the first two games in history. The record was previously held by former Northwestern quarterback KAin Colter, who has 177 yards through the first two games of the season.
Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski has broken the record for fewest passing yards (127) by a Big Ten QB through the first two games of a season (minimum 35 attempts, since 1995). Kain Colter previously held the record with 177 yards through two games in 2012.
— Arbitrary Analytics (@arbitanalytics) September 6, 2025
Now, it should be noted that Gronowski didn't finish the game against Albany, missing the entire fourth quarter with cramps. Now, Gronowski has shown he is a dual-threat quarterback as his rushing ability is there, but Iowa needs more than just a rushing quarterback.
The Hawkeyes have not had a passing attack in a long, long time, and there was hope that Gronowski coming in would bring more potential to the air game; however, so far, that seems not to be the case. Gronowski has the weapons to be able to complete the passes, but he just doesn't have the time in the pocket and has missed wide-open receivers.
Fans are furious over this loss to Iowa State and are even calling for Kirk Ferentz's job...again. This is the same song, but the second verse from last season, when fans were upset after the Iowa State loss. At least last season, Iowa started ranked and fell out.
Right now, Iowa is looking like a team that will most likely go 8-4 with the potential of a bowl game win, but this is not a team that could make the College Football Playoff, and it doesn't feel like they will with Ferentz as the head coach.