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After slow start, Mark Gronowski hoping to take a step forward against Iowa State

After slow start, Mark Gronowski hoping to take a step forward against Iowa State
COACH. AND IF IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN, HE’S GOING TO HAVE TO RELY ON MARK GRONOWSKI TO HAVE A BIG GAME. GRONOWSKI THE TOUTED TRANSFER FROM SOUTH DAKOTA STATE, MADE HIS IOWA DEBUT LAST WEEK AGAINST ALBANY DID NOT GO AS PLANNED. EIGHT OF 15, 44 YARDS PASSING, ONE TOUCHDOWN THROUGH THE AIR, ONE TOUCHDOWN ON THE GROUND. GRONOWSKI IS GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME IF THEY’RE TO LEAVE JACK TRICE STADIUM WITH A WIN, AND THIS CYCLONE DEFENSE. YEAH, IT’S A LOT TOUGHER THAN THE GREAT DANE ONE HE FACED LAST WEEK. FIRST GAME JITTERS A LITTLE BIT. JUST REALLY GOT TO HAVE THAT MINDSET GOING INTO THIS WEEK AND THE REST OF THE SEASON. JUST KIND OF HAVE THAT SCREW IT MENTALITY. LIKE WE GOT TO JUST GO OUT THERE, PLAY BALL, HAVE HAVE FUN, JUST PLAY FREE AND AND YOU’LL END UP PLAYING MORE FAST BY DOING THAT. MARK HIDES IT A LITTLE BIT BETTER, BUT MY TAKEAWAY WAS THAT HE JUST WAS A LITTLE BIT ANXIOUS AND PRESSING TOO HARD, AND ACTUALLY SAID SOMETHING TO HIM YESTERDAY MORNING. THE FIRST FIRST BALL HE THREW OUT, THERE WAS A HITCH TO THE LEFT. I BELIEVE IT WAS, AND LANDED ABOUT EIGHT FEET IN FRONT OF THE RECEIVER. AND HE’S PROBABLY THROWING A THOUSAND OF THOSE THINGS AND THROWING THEM WELL. SO THAT’S JUST INDICATIVE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON, I THINK. BUT GOOD TO GET THAT FIRST GAME DONE. NOW FOR MARK GRONOWSKI. OF COURSE HE’S GOING TO TAKE THE FIELD HERE AT JACK TRICE STADIUM. HE’S GOING TO LOOK TO GET THE CY-HAWK TROPHY BACK TO IOWA CITY. AND IF YOU CAN DO SO, I THINK HE’D PUT HIMSELF IN THE HISTORY BOOKS FOR IOWA. HE’D MAKE HIMSELF AN IOWA LEGEND. YOU WIN THIS GAME, YOU GO IN THE HISTORY BOOKS. HERE’S THE THING, THOUGH. WHEN HE TAKES THE FIELD AT JACK TRICE STADIUM, HE’S NOT GOING TO BE THE FIRST GRONOWSKI TO DO SO. PLAYING QUARTERBACK JUST COMES NATURALLY TO THOSE IN THE GRONOWSKI FAMILY. I WAS LIKE THROWING THE BALL AROUND WITH MY DAD OR MY GRANDPA. AND EVER SINCE WHEN I WAS A KID, I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A QUARTERBACK. MARK FOLLOWED IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HIS DAD, RAY, EACH PLAYING QUARTERBACK IN HIGH SCHOOL. HE HAS THE RECORD IN ILLINOIS FOR THE LEAST AMOUNT OF PASSES IN A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. I DON’T KNOW IF ANY QUARTERBACK WANTS TO COMMENT ON SOMETHING LIKE THAT, RIGHT? HE DID WIN THAT GAME, SOMETHING MARK ACTUALLY DIDN’T ACCOMPLISH. THAT’S PROBABLY ONE THING THAT I HAVE OVER HIM. ONE THING OF ALL, OF ALL THINGS. BUT MARK’S ILLUSTRIOUS SOUTH DAKOTA STATE CAREER HAS HIS DAD BEAT TWO NATIONAL TITLES THE WALTER PAYTON AWARD, AND AFTER THAT, GRONOWSKI TOOK A LEAP TO IOWA, PLAYING IN A STATE THAT’S ALL TOO FAMILIAR TO HIS DAD. HEY, THERE’S THIS GRONOWSKI KID THAT. COULD THAT POSSIBLY BE THE SAME GUY THAT PLAYED BACK IN 85? THAT’S BECAUSE LONG BEFORE MARK WAS THE TALK OF IOWA CITY, HIS DAD WAS THE TALK OF DES MOINES PLAYING FOR THE DRAKE FOOTBALL TEAM FROM 1981 TO 1985. I WASN’T A HUGE DRAKE FAN, BUT WE DID GO OUT AND VISIT THERE WHENEVER WE WERE PASSING BY, AND HE’D ALWAYS SHOWED US THE FOOTBALL FIELD. GROWING UP, THE TWO EVEN MADE THEIR FIRST COLLEGIATE START AGAINST THE SAME TEAM IN THE SAME BUILDING. I PLAYED YOU AND I AT THE UNI DOME AND THAT’S HOW HE STARTED HIS CAREER. THAT WAS HIS FIRST CAREER START. THAT WAS KIND OF UNIQUE TO BE IN THAT STADIUM. SEEING YOUR SON STARTING A GAME WHERE YOU WERE IN THAT SAME STADIUM YEARS PREVIOUS WAS REALLY, AGAIN, A FLASHBACK MOMENT. RAY EVEN PLAYED IOWA WHILE AT DRAKE, OF COURSE. LOST THERE, NEVER THINKING AT THE TIME THAT ONE DAY IT WOULD BE HIS SON LEADING THE HAWKEYES OUT IN THE SWARM. THAT WAS PRETTY EMOTIONAL. YOU KNOW, WITH THE CROWD, THE CROWD ROARING AND HIM WALKING OUT AS A CAPTAIN ON SATURDAY. MARK WILL TAKE THE FIELD AT JACK TRICE STADIUM, BEING THE SECOND GRONOWSKI TO DO SO. THE LAST TIME I’VE BEEN BACK TO JACK TRICE STADIUM IS AFTER A VICTORY. WHAT’S THAT? 40 YEARS? GRONOWSKI HAS BEEN TO JACK TRICE STADIUM TWICE. THE PICTURE YOU SEE ON YOUR SCREEN WAS A 1984, WHEN IOWA STATE BEAT THE BULLDOGS, AND HE WAS ON THE 1985 TEAM THAT ACTUALLY BEAT IOWA STATE 20 TO 17. THE QUESTION NOW
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Updated: 11:32 PM CDT Sep 5, 2025
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After slow start, Mark Gronowski hoping to take a step forward against Iowa State
ĢĒŠÄvlog logo
Updated: 11:32 PM CDT Sep 5, 2025
Editorial Standards ā“˜
Mark Gronowski's Hawkeye debut ended with a win, but the game didn't necessarily go as planned for highly touted transfer.Gronowski finished 8-for-15 through the air for 44 yards and a touchdown against Albany, ultimately settling for a modest stat line while the running game led the way. He also battled cramps at multiple times in the second half."My takeaway was that he was a little bit anxious," coach Kirk Ferentz said. "Pressing too hard."Ferentz said some of Gronowski's missed throws were ones he's made accurately hundreds of times before.A Gronowski returns to AmesGronowski won't be the first member of his family to try beating the Cyclones.His father, Ray, played college football at Drake from 1981-85. He was a member of two Drake teams that played at Jack Trice Stadium, including the 1985 squad that beat Iowa State, 20-17.Ā» Subscribe to ĢĒŠÄvlog's YouTube pageĀ» Download the free ĢĒŠÄvlog app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play

Mark Gronowski's Hawkeye debut ended with a win, but the game didn't necessarily go as planned for highly touted transfer.

Gronowski finished 8-for-15 through the air for 44 yards and a touchdown against Albany, ultimately settling for a modest stat line while the running game led the way. He also battled cramps at multiple times in the second half.

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"My takeaway was that he was a little bit anxious," coach Kirk Ferentz said. "Pressing too hard."

Ferentz said some of Gronowski's missed throws were ones he's made accurately hundreds of times before.

A Gronowski returns to Ames

Gronowski won't be the first member of his family to try beating the Cyclones.

His father, Ray, played college football at Drake from 1981-85. He was a member of two Drake teams that played at Jack Trice Stadium, including the 1985 squad that beat Iowa State, 20-17.

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