Iowa football downs Albany to open 2025 season

IOWA CITY — Mark Gronowski’s passing wasn’t on display Saturday night, despite the hope it would be there.

The Iowa starting quarterback’s debut wasn’t as polished as he’d hoped. Just four completions in the first half, the South Dakota State transfer quickly switched from the passing game to handoffs.

That led to Xavier Williams’ breakout.

“It was super exciting,” he said. “That was a great way to kick off my first time really being in Kinnick. Couldn’t have asked for a better start.”

The redshirt freshman’s load exponentially grew after Kamari Moulton was ruled out with an apparent upper body injury in the second quarter. By the end of the first half, Williams had his first career rushing touchdown and was averaging 15.7 yards per carry.

It was the touchdown that brought life back to Kinnick Stadium, and propelled Iowa to a 34-7 win over Albany to open the 2025 season.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz is now tied with Woody Hayes for most wins by a Big Ten head coach (205).

Still, it didn’t come easy. Albany, led by interim head coach Jared Ambrose, forced back-to-back three-and-outs left Gronowski looking flustered in the pocket. The Great Danes found the end zone first, but it was their last time stepping foot in the black-and-gold paint.

Williams’ rushing touchdown was followed up by a 2-yard receiving touchdown from Kaden Wetjen to end the first half. After forcing Albany to punt to start the second half, Gronowski forced himself through the middle for his first rushing touchdown — putting the Hawkeyes up by three scores.

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Williams didn’t see any action during the 2024 season, and in his official debut, he surpassed 100 rushing yards before the start of the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 122 rushing yards on 11 carries — nearly double any other player who touched the ball.

“He succeeded so so well, and I'm so happy for him, so proud of him,” Gronowski said. “He's a hard man to get down. He's a hard guy to tackle and and you see how big his quads are, everyone's gonna be afraid to hit him. He's going to keep running hard for us, and he's going to have a great season.”

It was the first time a freshman ran for at least 100 yards in their debut since 2005, when Shonn Greene ran for 116 against Ball State. Williams’ 122 yards is also the most by a freshman since at least 1970.

Williams’ impressive first appearance answered a different question for the Hawkeyes: what can the running back room do? Although Moulton’s time as a starter was cut short against the Great Danes, Williams wasn’t afraid to show off.

Nor was Gronowski. Despite completing just eight passes, Gronowski rushed for 39 yards on 11 carries. Though not an overwhelming number, he proved he can vacate the pocket effectively.

“One thing you did see is he can run the football, which is good,” Ferentz said. “That makes us a little bit more diverse attack-wise.”

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Gronowski’s day finally ended after he dealt with multiple apparent leg cramps in the third quarter. After completing a short pass toward the sideline, it was decided to let the new QB rest and put Auburn transfer Hank Brown in his place. Brown scored his first Hawkeye touchdown with a 1-yard rush just a few plays later.

Iowa’s season opener wasn’t filled with a brand-new passing game. It was simple — once offensive coordinator Tim Lester saw Gronowski’s wasn’t getting the right looks to throw, the Hawkeyes went straight back to what works.

“I mean, over 300 yards rushing, can't ask for much better than that,” Gronowski said. “So I'm happy on that side of things, but we gotta, we gotta pick it up on the passing game.”

The Hawkeyes have all season to regroup for the passing game. It might help to see some better connections with the receiving corps ahead of Cy-Hawk week, but Iowa was determined to keep what isn’t broken.

It worked — this time.

Comments: madison.hricik@thegazette.com