Game Report: Iowa Hawkeyes 20, Michigan State 17

A closer look at the Iowa Hawkeyes’ 20-17 win Saturday afternoon over the Michigan State Spartans at Kinnick Stadium.

Turning point

The fourth quarter. Michigan State led this game, 17-7, when quarterback Alessio Milivojevic threw a 5-yard pass to Chrishon McCray on a slot fade route with 1:13 left in the third.

Iowa had nothing going offensively the entire game, but put together a drive that resulted in a Drew Stevens 26-yard field goal with 11:27 to go.

With 2:37 left, the Hawkeyes took over at the Michigan State 42 after a Kaden Wetjen punt return of 40 yards. Quarterback Mark Gronowski scrambled for 16 yards, Kamari Moulton ran for 12, then Gronowski threw a 13-yard touchdown pass on a fade pass to the right corner of the end zone to Jacob Gill, the extra point tying things at 17.

Iowa’s defense got a stop, forcing a MSU punt. The offense took over at its 21 with 41 seconds left. Gronowski hit tight end D.J. Vonnahme for 19 yards on the first play, for 6 yards on the next play, then wide receiver Reece Vander Zee for 29 yards on a back-shoulder sideline throw in which Vander Zee went up and over a MSU defensive back for the catch to the Michigan State 25.

A 1-yard rushing loss ensued, with Iowa burning its final timeout with three seconds to go. Stevens came on and nailed his winning kick right down the middle.

Iowa finished with 301 yards of offense, 159 coming in the fourth quarter. Gronowski had 117 of his 147 passing yards in the fourth.

By the numbers

0 — Iowa points in the second half.

6 — Career return touchdowns for Iowa’s Kaden Wetjen. A school record.

57 — Career wins for Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski. A NCAA record.

73 — Career field goals for Iowa’s Drew Stevens. A school record.

147 — Punt return yards Saturday for Iowa’s Kaden Wetjen.

365 — between Big Ten Conference wins for Michigan State. MSU beat Purdue, 24-17, at home Nov. 22, 2024.

Notebook

* Iowa did not complete a pass until there was 2:10 left in the first half. Kamari Moulton took a screen from Mark Gronowski for five yards.

Gronowski ended up going 5 for 10 passing for 24 yards in the first half. His longest completion was for nine yards.

He also threw an interception.

* Though there were some injuries that forced guys to leave the game last week against Southern California, Iowa started the same five guys on the offensive line Saturday. They’d be Kaden Pieper, Trevor Lauck, Logan Jones, Gennings Dunker and Beau Stephens.

Iowa is one of just 11 teams nationally to have the same five starters for all of its games this season.

* The starting quarterbacks in this game both are from Naperville, Ill.

Iowa’s Gronowski went to Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville. Michigan State’s Alessio Milivojevic attended St. Francis High School, a college prep school in nearby Wheaton, Ill.

* Michigan State won last year’s game between these teams in East Lansing, 32-20. Jonathan Kim kicked six field goals for the Spartans.

That win ended up being vacated by Michigan State last week as part of an agreement between the school and the NCAA for recruiting violations made under previous coach Mel Tucker and his staff and for playing ineligible players last season.

MSU has not won a Big Ten game in 365 days and counting. The Spartans beat Purdue on Nov. 22, 2024, 24-17.

Injury report

Starting cornerback T.J. Hall and tight end Hayden Large did not play because of injuries incurred last week against USC. Wide receiver Jarriett Buie also remained out.

Next game

Iowa concludes the regular season with its annual Black Friday game against Nebraska. This one is in Lincoln, with kickoff being 11 a.m.

CBS has the telecast. Iowa walked off the Cornhuskers last season at Kinnick Stadium via a Drew Stevens 53-yard field goal on the final play.

Nebraska went into its game Saturday night at Penn State with a 7-3 record.

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