The Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) have put together three straight wins since their heartbreaking loss to Indiana on September 27.
During those three games, the Hawkeyes have had a good balance across all three phases and have picked each other up when one unit is struggling.
The defense forced three turnovers in the blowout 37-0 win over Wisconsin, and the offense turned them into points.
The Iowa offense and special teams struggled mightily in the first half against Penn State, but the defense kept it close. The offense woke up in the second half, outscoring the Penn State offense 15-10.
This past weekend, the Hawkeyes elected to receive the opening kickoff and immediately punched it in for a touchdown. The defense and special teams units also scored a touchdown, as the Hawkeyes dominated Minnesota 41-3 in the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale.
Over the past three games, the Hawkeye offense has averaged 34.3 points and 286.3 total yards per game, resulting in three wins.
A large part of the Iowa offense's success is quarterback Mark Gronowski, who is finally starting to get healthy after suffering a left knee injury against Indiana.
Gronowski had an average game against Wisconsin, but followed that up with two stellar performances against Penn State and Minnesota.
During Iowa's victory over Minnesota last Saturday, Gronowski finished the game with 135 passing yards and a touchdown through the air, and 24 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground.
Gronowski now has 11 rushing touchdowns on the season, tying him with Wilburn Hollis for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in Iowa program history.
Gronowski and the Iowa offense is starting to click at the right time, and they now have an extra week to get ready for a tough Oregon Ducks squad on November 8.
Final grade: A-