Iowa QB1 Mark Gronowski knows he had a subpar first game by his and the team's standards. The Hawkeyes mustered only 44 passing yards, but were able to dominate Albany on the ground in the 34-7 victory.
Gronowski reiterated this week that he needs to slow the game down and take a breath before each snap. He attributed his first-game struggles to being too excited and vowed to do better at managing his emotions this week.
Mark's dad, Ray, had experience playing and beating Iowa State while he was a quarterback for Drake University in the 1980s. Still, Mark stated he did not know much about the rivalry before arriving in Iowa City.
He will have to learn quick because rivalry week is here!
During a portion of his interview that was posted by "The Hawkeye Report," Gronowski discussed his preparation for the Iowa State game this weekend.
He did not reveal much about the offense's direct strategy, but was thankful the Cyclones have two games on tape.
Gronowski stated that he will "not stop slinging it," but he will do a better job of taking what the defense gives them.
If the defense plays soft in coverage, he will take the check-downs or the easy throws that they give him.
Gronowski was adamant that the practices this week have been more intense, and he is confident that if they go, execute their game plan, and do their thing, everything will be fine.
Gronowski's first and only taste of the Cy-Hawk rivalry is on the road in Ames in a tough environment, and all the preparation in the world will not be enough in this heated rivalry game.