Iowa didn’t start fast, but finished with authority at Kinnick to open 1–0. The Hawks trailed 7–3 midway through the 2nd, then flipped the script with defense, a recommitment to the run, and timely red-zone execution.
How it swung:
Xavier Williams punched in a rushing TD to make it 10–7 in the 2nd.
On 4th down, Mark Gronowski → Kaden Wetjen for a 2-yd TD (Gronowski’s first scoring pass as a Hawkeye), stretching it to 17–7 with 1:51 left in the half.
3Q (5:27): Gronowski on a short QB draw TD → 24–7; he left later with cramping after his second bout, Hank Brown finished it off with a QB push TD for 34–7.
4Q (14:18): Drew Stevens drilled a 55-yard FG to make it 27–7 before Brown’s score.
By the numbers:
Rushing dominance: 310 rush yards by 7 different players.
Gronowski (QB): 8/15, 44 yards, 1 pass TD; 11 rushes, 39 yards, 1 rush TD.
Defense: settled in after the early wobble, controlled explosives, and kept Albany off-schedule the rest of the way.
Personnel notes:
WR Reese Van Der Zee was injured during the week (opened the door for Kaden Wetjen’s goal-line snap and TD).
RB Kamari Moulton was seen in a sling on the sideline (per Shannon Ehrhardt/KCCI).
Big picture: A slow start, then Iowa football: defense + run game. It wasn’t perfect, but the formula played: control the line, finish in the red zone, let the defense squeeze. Next up is rivalry week in Ames: the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series vs #22 Iowa State (Sat, 11:00 AM CT on FOX).
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