Iowa’s Gronowski sets win record, faces ultimate Big Ten challenge
Mark Gronowski just became the winningest quarterback in Division I football history.
Maybe the bigger question is if the Neuqua Valley High School graduate can finally create a productive offense at Iowa.
Most of Gronowski's victories came at FCS power South Dakota State, where he was 49-6 as a starter and won two national titles. He transferred to Iowa this year and added two more victories in three tries.
Last Saturday, Gronowski and backup Hank Brown combined for 235 passing yards in a 47-7 win over UMass, ending a streak of 14 consecutive Iowa games without 200 passing yards. The Hawkeyes got off to a slow start this year, with Gronowski finishing with 44 and 83 passing yards in the first two games. Against UMass, Iowa needed just three plays to score the first of three first-quarter touchdowns.
“I've seen a lot of growth in myself,” Gronowski told reporters after the game. “That first week, I think I was already playing the game a bunch in my head before the game even started, worrying about what everyone else was thinking.
“Heading into this week, I just realized I've got to go out there and play for myself, play for my family, and kind of play for the little kid that was playing Pop Warner football 10 years ago. Just go out there and have fun. It's a kids' game. Just go out there and relax and you'll end up playing better.”
Gronowski set the Division I QB victory record on the same day Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz passed Woody Hayes for the most coaching wins in Big Ten history with 206.
Iowa sports information has Gronowski listed as tied for first place at 51 wins with Grand Valley State's Cullen Finnerty, with Boise State's Kellen Moore next with 50 wins. But Grand Valley State plays in Division II, and North Central's Luke Lehnen just graduated with a 57-2 record in Division III. So Gronowski doesn't own the all-levels record.
Friday's college slate will feature an all-suburban QB battle when Iowa visits Rutgers (7 p.m., Fox) and Gronowski squares off against Athan Kaliakmanis from Antioch.
Kaliakmanis ranks third in the Big Ten with 273.2 passing yards a game. Rutgers has scored points on 20 of 27 drives this season and is riding a program-best streak of seven straight games with at least 30 points.
Iowa connections
Wide receiver K.J. Parker, a redshirt freshman from IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst, scored his first college touchdown for Iowa last Saturday, a 2-yard pass from backup quarterback Hank Brown.
Parker's TD had coach Kirk Ferentz raving about Parker's high school coach, former Hawkeyes safety Matt Bowen, who played at Glenbard West and also works as a television analyst.
“Matt mentioned (Parker) years ago, and that got our attention because Matt doesn't call up and give us 12 names,” Ferentz said Monday. “He says, this is a young man that's really special.
“I only got to work with Matt directly one year as a player, but obviously we've remained close. Went to journalism school at DePaul when he was playing in the NFL, and he's putting that to use now. He's really a good journalist, but also a pretty good coach apparently.”
Illini hit prime time
No. 9 Illinois begins a month in the spotlight this week. The Illini will play in prime time Saturday at No. 19 Indiana (6:30 p.m., NBC), then next week host No. 25 USC in a Big Noon game in Champaign. After visiting Purdue, the Illini will face No. 1 Ohio State at home on Oct. 11.