NOTES: Black Out vs. Minnesota

1ST & 10
• Saturday’s game is the annual Black Out inside Kinnick Stadium.  Fans are encouraged to wear black clothing.
• The Hawkeyes have won 10 of the last 11 meetings against Minnesota in Iowa City with the only loss coming in 2023 on an invalid fair catch penalty that negated a go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdown by Iowa’s DB Cooper DeJean.
• Iowa has 30 wins in its last 41 rivalry trophy games. The team is 1-1 in trophy games this season.
• QB Mark Gronowski rushed for 130 yards – the most ever by an Iowa quarterback – in the Week 8 win over Penn State. He is the first Hawkeye QB with 100+ rushing yards since 1972 (Butch Caldwell).
• Gronowski has scored at least one rushing touchdown in all seven games – the longest streak by a Big Ten quarterback since Michigan’s Denard Robinson in 2011. His 10 total rushing TDs are third-most nationally and tied for the most among FBS quarterbacks.
• Safety Xavier Nwankpa was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 20 after making 10 tackles, intercepting a pass and forcing a fumble in the Week 8 win over Penn State.
• The Hawkeye defense has forced seven turnovers over its last four games. Iowa’s defense ranks eighth nationally in both scoring defense (14.2) and total defense (249.4), 12th in passing (157.0) and 13th in rushing defense (92.4).
• The Hawkeyes have rushed for 200+ yards in back-to-back games and the rushing attack has four 200+ yard games this season. Iowa has rushed for 200+ yards 11 times under OC Tim Lester.
• Iowa has scored 13 touchdowns in conference play (five games), crossing the goal line 12 times on the ground and returning one kickoff 100 yards.
• Iowa has scored 25+ points in four of the last five games.
• PK Drew Stevens made two field goals in Week 8 against Penn State to become Iowa’s program record holder with 68 career field goals. He is also third in school history in career scoring (308). 
• Wetjen has a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown (Week 3 vs. UMass) and a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown (Week 4 at Rutgers) this season. He is the only player in the nation to accomplish the feat in 2025.
• Over his last five games, Gronowski has completed 74-of-107 attempts (69.2 percent) for 684 yards and two touchdowns. 

THE SERIES
• Saturday will be the 119th meeting between Iowa and Minnesota. The Hawkeyes have won nine of the last 10 and 19 of the last 24 in the series. Seven of the last 10 meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less.
• Minnesota leads the all-time series, 63-53-2.
• The Hawkeyes won the most recent meeting, winning 31-14 in Minneapolis in 2024 behind a 206-yard rushing performance from consensus All-American Kaleb Johnson.
•  Iowa is 32-24-1 against the Gophers in Iowa City.
• Minnesota snapped an eight-game losing streak to Iowa with a 12-10 win in Kinnick Stadium in 2023. The Hawkeyes appeared to score the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but the punt return was overturned on an invalid fair catch signal by Cooper DeJean.
• Minnesota is only school that Kirk Ferentz has squared off against every season during his Hawkeye tenure as both an assistant coach (1981-89) and head coach (1999-present).

FLOYD OF ROSEDALE
As a result of a bet between the governors of the two states in 1935, possession of Floyd of Rosedale is at stake Saturday. The trophy currently resides in Iowa City. Iowa leads the series 45-43-2 with Floyd of Rosedale on the line. Iowa has won 19 of the last 24 meetings.

GRONOWSKI IN 2025
Graduate Mark Gronowski has completed 95-of-146 attempts for 811 yards and three touchdowns in seven games this season. The Illinois native also has 289 rushing yards (second-most on the team) and is leading the team with 10 touchdowns and 67 rushing attempts.
• His 10 rushing touchdowns are third nationally and second in the Big Ten.
• Gronowski’s 65.1 completion percentage is 55th in the country.
• In Week 3 against UMass, Gronowski completed 16-of-24 passes for a season-high 189 yards and two touchdowns. He completed a pass to 12 different receivers in the game.
• In his first career Big Ten game at Rutgers, Gronowski completed 12-of-18 attempts for 186 yards while rushing 13 times for 55 yards and scoring three touchdowns.
• In Week 8 against Penn State, Gronowski rushed for 130 yards on nine attempts -- the most ever by an Iowa quarterback -- and scored two touchdowns. He had a 67-yard run in the fourth quarter to set up the go-ahead touchdown.
• Gronowski has had both a passing and rushing touchdown in Week 1 versus UAlbany and Week 3 versus UMass. He has 28 such games in his collegiate career.
• He has 11,119 career passing yards, 2,056 career rushing yards, 96 career passing touchdowns and 47 career rushing touchdowns.  

MOST WINS AS A STARTING QB
Graduate Mark Gronowski has won 54 career games as a starting quarterback -- the most amongst signal callers all-time (all levels). He passed Boise State’s Kellen Moore (50) for the most wins in FCS/FBS and Grand Valley State’s Cullen Finnerty (51) for most victories at all levels.

ANOTHER DIMENSION
Graduate quarterback Mark Gronowski gives Iowa’s offense another dimension with his legs. Through seven weeks, the Illinois native is second on the team with 289 rushing yards on a team-high 67 attempts. He also has a team-best 10 touchdowns, which tied for the second-most by an Iowa quarterback in a single season all-time.
• Gronowski is third nationally in rushing touchdowns (10) and sixth in total touchdowns (10) this season, while ranking 25th in total points scored (60).
• The last Iowa QB to lead the team in rushing attempts in a season was Butch Caldwell in 1976.
• Gronowski finished with 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the Week 8 win over Penn State.  The 130 rushing yards are the most ever in a game by an Iowa quarterback. His 67-yard rush in the fourth quarter set up Iowa’s go-ahead touchdown and was the team’s longest run of the season.
• He is the first Hawkeye QB to rush for 100+ yards since Butch Caldwell in 1972.   
• Gronowski had 54 rushing yards (before sacks) on a career-high 16 rushing attempts in Week 2 at Iowa State and 55 rushing yards on 13 carries and scored three touchdowns in Week 4 at Rutgers. The three touchdowns are the most by an Iowa quarterback since Matt Rodgers had three against Cincinnati on Sept. 15, 1990. The last Iowa QB to even have two rushing touchdowns in a game were Brad Banks (2002) and C.J. Beathard (2015).
• Gronowski has had a rushing touchdown in each of the first seven weeks of the 2025 season, which includes two multi-touchdown games. He is the first Big Ten QB to accomplish the feat since Michigan’s Denard Robinson in 2011.
• Gronowski has had both a passing and rushing touchdown twice this season and in 28 games in his collegiate career.

GROUND & POUND
The Hawkeyes churned out 310 yards on 53 rushing attempts as a team in the season-opening victory over UAlbany. Along with Xavier Williams’ 122 yards, sophomore Terrell Washington, Jr., had 69 yards on 15 attempts and junior Jaziun Patterson had 47 yards on seven carries.
• The 310 yards are eighth most in a game under head coach Kirk Ferentz. The 53 rushing attempts are tied for the 10th most.
• Iowa has rushed for 200+ yards four times this season and 11 times in OC Tim Lester’s Hawkeye tenure.
• Iowa has depth in the running back room as five different players have rushed for 125 or more yards through seven weeks – Kamari Moulton (360), Mark Gronowski (289), Xavier Williams (245), Jaziun Patterson (198) and Nathan McNeil (134).

X: DPOW
Senior Xavier Nwankpa was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 20 following the Hawkeyes’ come-from-behind win over Penn State.  The Pleasant Hill, Iowa, native tied a career-high with 10 tackles, had an interception and return to the 1 and forced a fumble.  It was Nwankpa’s first career honor.

CAREER BESTS ALL AROUND
Iowa’s defense had five players post or tie career highs in tackles in the Week 8 home victory over Penn State. DB Koen Entringer had a team-high 11 tackles for his second career double-digit tackle game and DB Xavier Nkwankpa equaled a career best with 10 tackles.  
• LBs Jayden Montgomery (7) and Jaxon Rexroth (6) had career highs, while DL Aaron Graves (7) and DB Zach Lutmer (7) tied personal bests in tackles.

CONSISTENT D
• Iowa’s defense ranks eighth in the nation in total defense (249.4) and scoring defense (14.6) through the first eight weeks of the 2025 season. The unit is also fifth in the NCAA in fourth-down defense (.231), 10th in first down defense (100), 12th in passing defense (157.0) and 13th in rushing defense (92.4).

DA DOUGH BOYZ ARE BACK
Iowa’s defense got two interceptions from its defensive backfield in the Week 8 win over Penn State. Senior Deshaun Lee had a diving pick (the second of his career) in the second quarter and he had a pass breakup on the Nittany Lions’ final offensive play to clinch the Hawkeye victory.
• Senior Xavier Nwankpa recorded his first interception since 2023 (third of his career) in the second quarter and returned it 28 yards to the 1 to set up an Iowa touchdown. The Pleasant Hill, Iowa, native also had a forced fumble and tied a career high with 10 tackles in the victory.

CLUTCH KOEN
DB Koen Entringer has a team-best two double-digit tackle games this season. He had a career-high 11 stops in the Week 8 win over Penn State and 10 tackles (seven solo), including a career-best two TFL, in Week 5 against Indiana. The Michigan native made a pair of key fourth-down stops in the second and fourth quarters for an Indiana turnover on downs.
• Entringer is second on the team with 41 tackles and three TFL. He also has two pass breakups and a fumble recovery in Week 2 at Iowa State.

KADEN "THE JET" WETJEN
Graduate Kaden Wetjen was named the recipient of The 2024 Jet Award, which honors the most outstanding return specialist in college football. He was the first Hawkeye to receive the distinction.
• The Williamsburg, Iowa, native is leading the nation in combined return yards (by 86 yards) for a second straight season. He has 573 combined return yards (262 kickoff, 311 punt) through seven games. Wetjen is No. 1 in the NCAA in punt returns (25.9), third in kickoff return touchdowns (1) and third in punt return touchdowns (1).
• He is the only player in the nation to have both a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown this season and he was the only player to accomplish the same feat in 2024.
• Wetjen led the country by a wide margin in 2024, finishing with 1,055 combined kick return yards. He ranked first in the FBS in kickoff return yards (727) and second in punt return yards (328). Wetjen had two return for scores in 2024 -- a 100-yard kickoff return against No. 19 Missouri in the Music City Bowl and an 85-yard punt return in the win over Northwestern. 

STEVENS IS NO. 1
Senior Drew Stevens made two field goals in Week 8 against Penn State to pass Nate Kaeding for the most career field goals made in program history. He has made 68 career field goals during his four-year Hawkeye career. 
• The South Carolina native is 14-for-19 in field goal attempts this season. He is fifth in the NCAA (first in the Big Ten) in field goals per game (2.00).
• He made 15 consecutive field goals from Week 10 of the 2024 season to Week 3 of the 2025 season. 
• Stevens connected from 28 and a career-long 55 yards in the victory over the Great Danes. The 55-yarder is tied for the fourth longest kick in school history. He also made a 54-yarder against UMass and Indiana -- his school-record 10th and 11th career make from 50+.
• Stevens enjoyed a breakout 2024 season, making 20-of-23 field goals, which were a career high and the sixth-most in program history. He was 5-for-5 from 40-49 yards and had four makes from 50+.   
• He tied Kyle Schlicher’s program record that was set in 2004, making five field goals in the road win at Maryland on Nov. 23. The five makes also tied the SECU Stadium, which led to him being named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week. 
• Two of Stevens’ makes came from 54 and 50 yards, making him the first Hawkeye since Tim Douglas (at Illinois, 1998) to make multiple 50+ yard field goals in the same game. 
• Stevens has four career games where he has made at least four field goals and he has three career game-winning field goals (21-yarder with 28 seconds left in road win at Minnesota in 2022, a 53-yarder in road win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field in 2023 and a 53-yarder as time expired in a win over Nebraska in 2024).
• For his career, Stevens has made 68-of-86 field goal attempts (79.1 percent) and is 104-of-106 on PATs. He is 11-of-15 from 50-59 yards in his Hawkeye career.  
• Steven’s brother, Jack, is a kicker at Washington State. He spent his freshman season at South Dakota State.

DAKIN SHINING IN YEAR 2
Sophomore Rhys Dakin is averaging 45.1 yards on 19 punts in 2025 with six 50+ yarders, eight punts inside the 20 and nine punts being fair caught. In Week 2, Dakin had a career-long 65-yard punt at Iowa State.
• For his career, 22 of Dakin’s punts have traveled 50+ yards.
• Dakin averaged 44.1 yards on 64 punts in 2024, which ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 24th nationally. The Australian, who hails from the same hometown of Melbourne as former Hawkeye Tory Taylor, earned FWAA Freshman All-America honors for his efforts.
• Thirty-three of Dakin’s punts in 2024 were fair caught, 29 were downed inside the 20 and 16 traveled 50+ yards. Only five of his punts were touchbacks.

ALONE AT THE TOP
Kirk Ferentz is in his 27th season as Iowa’s head football coach. He is the longest tenured active head coach in college football and the all-time winningest coach in Big Ten Conference history. Ferentz won his 206th game as a member of the Big Ten on Sept. 13, 2025, against UMass, to pass Ohio State’s Woody Hayes atop the prestigious list. He currently has 209 career victories.
• Ferentz has 131 Big Ten wins, which rank third all-time, trailing Hayes (153) and Michigan’s Bo Schembechler (143). 
• Ferentz won his 200th career game at Iowa State in 2023. He is the 27th coach at an FBS institution to reach the 200-career win milestone and the 99th coach across all divisions. Former Hawkeye head coach Hayden Fry finished his career with 236 victories.
• Ferentz has 10 career bowl game victories, which tie Joe Paterno for the most bowl wins as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

NOTABLE FERENTZ WINS AT IOWA
1 - Northern Illinois (9/18/99) - 24-0
2 - Michigan State (10/7/00) - 21-16 - first career Big Ten victory
11 - vs. Texas Tech (12/29/01) - 19-16 - Alamo Bowl
22 - at Minnesota (11/16/02) - 42-21 - clinched share of Big Ten title
37 - at Penn State (10/23/04) - 6-4
41 - Wisconsin (11/20/04) - 30-7 - clinched share of Big Ten title
50 - Montana (9/2/06) - 41-7
81 - vs. Georgia Tech (1/5/10) - 24-14 - Orange Bowl
100 - at Michigan State (10/13/12) - 19-16 (2 OT)
144 - Northern Illinois (9/1/18) - passed Hayden Fry for most wins in school history
150 - at Illinois (11/17/18) - 63-0
175 - at Northwestern (11/6/21) - 17-12
195 - Illinois (11/18/23) - 15-13 - passed Bo Schembechler for No. 4 in Big Ten history
200 - Washington (10/12/25) - 40-16 - passed Amos Alonzo Stagg to move to No. 2 in Big Ten history
206 – UMass (9/13/25) – 47-7 – passed Woody Hayes to become Big Ten’s all-time winningest coach