After loss to Oregon, Iowa football leans on its leaders to bounce back game at No. 17 USC

IOWA CITY — It was the kind of game Iowa football loves to play. Gritty, physical, low-scoring and, in some moments, ugly.

The cold, rainy, sold-out Kinnick Stadium added to the aura of a Top 25 football game, too.

But with the 18-16 loss to No. 9 Oregon and now the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes have to regroup before making a trip out West to face another ranked program: No. 19 USC. There’s disappointment, frustration and downright heartbreak that swept over Iowa after the Ducks kicked a game-winning 39-yard field goal Saturday evening.

All three of Iowa’s losses this year have been one-score affairs. All three total to a 10-point difference.

The “what if” game doesn’t answer questions, as much as it can be easier to hope for that outcome. Instead, the Hawkeyes have to regroup before getting on a plane and handling a two-hour time change against a Trojan team that’s undefeated in the Los Angeles Coliseum this year.

“I would love to say I don't, play the ‘what if’ game, but I'm human. Everyone's human,” quarterback Mark Gronowski said. “But it's something that you can't sulk on. You can't think about it forever.”

That’s where the leadership comes into play.

“We're a little tougher than that. We're not going to have that type of mentality where a loss is going to just ruin our season,” left guard Beau Stephens said. “We're just not going to scrap everything that we've worked so hard for. You got to get back in on Sunday. You got to look at what you did wrong. Ultimately, in those three games, it was all make-ables. It was all us shooting ourselves on foot.”

The Hawkeyes are relying on their 24-hour rule, and head coach Kirk Ferentz said he’s seen his team adjust their focus since the team’s meeting and film review on Sunday. It also helps when many of the Hawkeyes are used to readjusting.

“You're not going to win every game,” Ferentz said Tuesday. “You have to deal with that. It hurts on Sunday, and then you've got to move on. We're forced physically to do it, and that helps the mental part, too.”

Gronowski, however, still is in some new territory. Although the starting quarterback has been a leader since he arrived in Iowa City, he’s not one with many losses under his belt. He’s only had nine collegiate losses, three of them coming this season.

“It's been a little difficult,” Gronowski said. “It adds a new leadership element to me that I have to learn from it and learn how to lose — I hate when people say that — but learn how to approach the leadership wise after a loss, and knowing how we got to push guys forward.”

That new leadership element circles around how to address his teammates, whether to help remind fellow Hawkeyes to keep their chin up or help hold players accountable.

Even so, Iowa still has some goals laid out in front of itself. A chance at a ranked win is ahead for the Hawkeyes, with the Trojans reaching No. 17 in this week’s AP poll. The loss to Oregon wasn’t the end of Iowa’s season — there’s still three more games, plus a bowl game left on the horizon.

Is it what Iowa was hoping for? Not at all. But the sun rises everyday, even when it rained the night before — and it literally rained a lot in Kinnick Stadium on Saturday. Iowa’s back out practicing, just like every week.

“They realize there's ups and downs in sports,” Ferentz said. “They've been really good. I think very steady. Based on yesterday and today, nobody's been discouraged. They're working hard, and they know we've got a big challenge on our hands right now.”

The Hawkeyes’ ability to bounce back after losses has become part of their identity, both this year and in seasons prior. It sets up a challenge against the Trojans, but it’s one Iowa has to take on in this final leg of the season.

“Everyone just thinks about getting better and improving. Ultimately, that's what our main goal is, to do our individual job as a collective,” Stephens said. “So if we just come in on Sunday, Monday, and focus on that, we'll get better. I think a lot of guys, they have the right focus and it just sets us up for the rest of the season.”

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