For the first time all season, everything was clicking for the Iowa offense in a big win over UMass last Saturday.
The offense emphasized the passing attack, and the Hawkeyes came out throwing early and often.
On the way to win No. 51 in his career, quarterback Mark Gronowski was excited that he was allowed to take more deep shots last week, and that was shown by how effectively he threw the ball downfield.
Gronowski is appreciative of his teammates for their unwavering faith in him from week one until now. However, he is adamant that they can still improve the passing game and continue pushing for a more balanced attack.
On Friday, the Hawkeyes travel to New Jersey to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in their first Big Ten game of the season. Gronowski stated they ramped up their preparation earlier to get ready for the game on a short week.
During his media availability ahead of the Rutgers game, which was posted by "The Hawkeye Report," Gronowski noted the offense is still not fully where they want it to be.
He noted they are still missing players, and need to find out who their playmakers are each week.
After the success of the passing game, Gronowski stated they will continue to push the ball downfield through the air as they attempt to maintain a balanced offensive attack.
The game plan often changes during the game, but Gronowski noted that they want to stretch the ball downfield and use the play-action pass to open the defense up.
If they spread the defense out with the passing game, it opens up the running game and vice versa.
Gronowski wants to continue striving for a balanced attack as the offense continues to grow, and he knows how important it is for the squad to go 1-0 in the Big Ten as they battle Rutgers this week.