NOTES: Pioneer Heroes Game at Nebraska

1ST & 10
• The Hawkeyes have won two straight and nine of the last 10 in the Pioneer Heroes Game against Nebraska. Iowa has won its last six games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.  
• Iowa is one of four teams nationally to not have a losing record in the College Football Playoff era (since 2014), along with Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State.
• Iowa is 31-11 in its last 42 rivalry trophy games.
• Graduate Kaden Wetjen earned his third Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors after recording a 62-yard punt return touchdown in Week 13 against Michigan State – his third punt return TD this season. He is the only player in Big Ten history to have three PR touchdowns and a KR touchdown in the same season. 
• Senior Drew Stevens drilled a 44-yard field goal as time expired to give the Hawkeyes a Senior Day victory over Michigan State. It was Stevens’ fourth career game-winning field goal (and his second straight on a home Senior Day).
• Since 2015, Iowa has won nine games on a field goal in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter, three more than any other FBS team over that period.
• QB Mark Gronowski threw his 100th career touchdown pass against Michigan State in Week 13.
• Iowa has won seven games for the 21st time under head coach Kirk Ferentz.
• Stevens made a 58-yard field goal in Week 11 against Oregon, tying an Iowa and Kinnick Stadium record. It is tied for the third-longest make in the NCAA this season.
• The Iowa defense is eighth nationally in total defense (267.9) and scoring defense (14.5), ninth in first-down defense (169), 12th in passing defense (166.3) and 14th in rushing defense (101.6). 
• Gronowski scored a touchdown in Iowa’s first 10 games this season. The streak was the longest by a Big Ten quarterback all-time. 
• Gronowski’s 13 total rushing TDs are third in the Big Ten, the 11th-most nationally and tied for the second-most among FBS quarterbacks. The 13 rushing TDs are a single season record by an Iowa quarterback.
• PK Drew Stevens has made 73 career field goals -- the most in program history. He is also second in school history in career scoring (334). 
• Wetjen, a 2025 Jett Award finalist, is the only player in the nation to have both a punt and kickoff return TD in 2025. He is also the only player in the country to score via a punt, kickoff, rushing and passing touchdown -- the first player since 2009 to accomplish the feat.

THE SERIES
• Friday’s game is the 56th meeting in the all-time series. Nebraska holds a 30-22-3 advantage in the series that began with a 22-0 Iowa victory in 1891. Iowa has won nine of the last 10 in the series, including seven-straight from 2015-21. 
• Iowa’s 56 points in 2017 in the 56-14 win were the most in the series’ 54-game history. Since that 42-point win, the last seven games have all been decided by seven points or less.  
• Iowa has won the last six meetings in Lincoln dating back to 2015, but the Huskers lead 15-8-1 all-time in contests played in Lincoln.  Four of the six games were decided by a single possession.
• The Hawkeyes have kicked a game-winning field goal to beat Nebraska four times since 2018 (Miguel Recinos, 2018; Keith Duncan, 2019; Marshall Meeder, 2023; Drew Stevens, 2024).
• The 1999 Iowa-Nebraska game in Kinnick Stadium marked Kirk Ferentz’s first game as Iowa’s head coach.  
• The first 10 games in the series were played in either Omaha (eight games) or Council Bluffs (two games). The series was even at 4-4-2 in those 10 meetings.  

BATTLE FOR THE HEROES TROPHY
Iowa and Nebraska are playing “The Heroes Game” Friday, with the winner claiming the Heroes Trophy. The trophy game between the Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers was established in 2011. Since its inception, Iowa leads the series, 10-4. Iowa gained possession of the trophy for the first time with a 38-17 win at Nebraska in 2013. The Hawkeyes reclaimed it in 2015 with a 28-20 win in Lincoln, their first of seven straight wins in the series.  

IOWA'S HERO
The Heroes Game was created to honor the rich football traditions of the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska football programs while also annually honoring community heroes in both states. The 2025 citizen heroes have positively impacted the community and stand as an inspiration to others. Jayce Koob, a 12-year-old sixth grader from MOC-Floyd Valley Community School District, awoke in the middle of the night to heavy smoke and alarms, but he managed to get out of the burning house.  With no phone and alone, Jayce traveled almost a mile to alert neighbors in rural Sioux County to call for help. The tragedy claimed the lives of three teenagers, but his heroic efforts saved a fourth teen inside the house.
• Nebraska’s hero is Ashley De La Cruz-Martin.  

BLACK FRIDAY
Iowa and Nebraska meet on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, for the 15th consecutive season. The schools have played on Black Friday every year since Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference in 2011. Iowa is 10-4 in the previous 14 Black Friday meetings, winning nine of the last 10 games.   

GRONOWSKI IN 2025
Graduate Mark Gronowski has completed 141-of-224 attempts for 1,363 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games this season. The Illinois native also has 427 rushing yards (second-most on the team) and is leading the team with 13 touchdowns.
• His 13 rushing touchdowns are third in the Big Ten and 11th nationally. They are tied for the third-most by a QB in the nation.
• 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 had a 29-yard touchdown pass to Reece Vander Zee in Week 9 vs. Minnesota. It was the team’s longest touchdown pass of the season.
• Gronowski had 117 of his 147 passing yards in the fourth quarter and finished with 57 rushing yards in Iowa’s come-from-behind 20-17 win over Michigan State in Week 13. He completed his final four passing attempts for 67 yards, including a 13-yard game-tying touchdown.
• Gronowski has had both a passing and rushing touchdown five times this season -- Week 1 versus UAlbany, Week 3 versus UMass, Week 9 vs. Minnesota, Week 11 versus Oregon and Week 12 at USC. He has 31 such games in his collegiate career.
• Gronowski has led three fourth-quarter game-winning drives (at Rutgers, Penn State, Michigan State) – the most by a Hawkeye quarterback since Ricky Stanzi had four in 2009.
• He has 11,741 career passing yards, 2,194 career rushing yards, 100 career passing touchdowns and 50 career rushing touchdowns. 

ANOTHER DIMENSION
Graduate quarterback Mark Gronowski gives Iowa’s offense another dimension with his legs. Through 11 games, the Illinois native is second on the team with 427 rushing yards on 107 attempts. He also has a team-best 13 touchdowns, which are the most by an Iowa quarterback in a single season all-time.
• Gronowski is 11th nationally in rushing touchdowns (13) and ninth in total touchdowns (14) this season, while ranking 41st in total points scored (84).
• 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 had a rushing touchdown in each of his first 10 games of the 2025 season, which included two multi-touchdown games. The 10 straight games with a rushing touchdown was a Big Ten single-season record.  
• He was the first FBS quarterback with a rushing TD in each of his first 10 games since Houston’s D’Eriq King in 2018 and the first Power Conference QB with a rushing TD in each of his first 10 games.
• Gronowski has had both a passing and rushing touchdown five times this season and in 31 games in his collegiate career.

AIR, RUSH, CATCH
Graduate Mark Gronowski threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Dayton Howard; he rushed for a 1-yard touchdown and caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from WR Reece Vander Zee in Week 12 at USC. He became the seventh Big Ten player (fifth Big Ten quarterback), and first Hawkeye, to accomplish the feat this century.
• Gronowski’s TD reception is the first by a Hawkeye QB since Matt Sherman caught a pass from Tim Dwight against Minnesota in 1994.
• The touchdown reception was the second of Gronowski’s career.

CONSISTENT D
• Iowa’s defense ranks eighth in the nation in total defense (267.9) and scoring defense (14.5), ninth in first down defense (169), 12th in passing defense (166.3) and 14th in rushing defense (101.6) through 11 games in 2025. 
• The defensive unit has limited big plays, yielding just five runs of 20+ yards and eight pass plays of 30+ yards.
• Iowa’s defense has surrendered just three scoring drives of 80 yards or more through 11 games.
• The Hawkeyes allowed just one touchdown over the first three games against UAlbany, Iowa State and UMass. Iowa held two of its first three opponents under 200 yards.
• Iowa limited UAlbany to 177 yards in the season opener, including just 33 yards in the second half. The Great Danes had 43 rushing yards and nine overall first downs.
• In Week 2, the Hawkeyes limited Iowa State to 238 yards and 16 points. The Cyclones entered the game averaging 39.5 points and 421 yards of total offense.
• In Week 3, Iowa held UMass to 34 yards in the first half, 119 yards in the game and eight first downs. It was the fewest yards allowed in a game since 2018 against Maryland (115) and the fifth fewest allowed in a game under Ferentz. The eight first downs are tied for the ninth fewest allowed in a game under Ferentz.
• The Hawkeye defense limited No. 11 Indiana to a season-low 20 points and 337 total yards. The Hoosiers entered the game averaging 54.8 points and 588.5 yards.
• Iowa’s defense limited Oregon to 18 points – 23.3 points below its season average – and 373 total yards – 110 yards below its average. The Hawkeyes also kept USC (360) to 147 total yards below its season average (503).
• Iowa’s defense has allowed just 69 points in the second half this season and six touchdowns. The unit didn’t allow a third-quarter touchdown until Week 8 and has allowed just 36 points in the third quarter.

DA DOUGH BOYZ ARE BACK
Iowa’s defense got two interceptions from its defensive backfield in the Week 8 win over Penn State and three more (two by DBs) in Week 9 against Minnesota. 
• 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. Nwankpa also had a forced fumble and tied a career high with 10 tackles in the victory.
• Sophomore Zach Lutmer and senior TJ Hall both recorded picks against the Gophers. Lutmer snatched his interception and returned it 34 yards for his first career collegiate touchdown.
• Lee recorded his second INT of the season in Week 11 against Oregon to match Lutmer for the team lead.

NEW LBs STEPPING UP
Graduate linebacker Karson Sharar is leading the team 73 tackles, including a team-high 10 tackles for loss, through the first 11 games of the 2025 season. The Iowa Falls, Iowa, native has three double-digit tackle games – a career-high 10 tackles in Week 4 at Rutgers, Week 11 versus Oregon and Week 13 against Michigan State. He also had three TFL, one sack and two hurries against the Spartans. Sharar finished with nine tackles and a team-best 2.5 TFL in the Week 8 win over Penn State.
• Junior Jayden Montgomery has started Iowa’s last five of the last six games against Wisconsin, Penn State, Wisconsin, Oregon and USC. He had a career-high eight tackles in Week 11 versus Oregon. 

THE WIZARD FROM WILLIAMSBURG
Longtime columnist Mike Hlas deemed Iowa’s Kaden Wetjen “The Wizard from Williamsburg”. Wetjen is most certainly going down as a historic Hawkeye. The Williamsburg, Iowa, native is unquestionably the top returner in Iowa football history and is one of the most electrifying players in college football.
• Punt return average of 28.3 yards in 2025 is No. 1 nationally and currently No. 1 in Big Ten history
• Three punt return touchdowns in 2025 are tied for the third-most in a single season in Big Ten history, which includes a 95-yarder vs. UMass that tied a Big Ten record
• Four career punt return touchdowns – tied for third-most in Big Ten history (No. 2 in Iowa history behind Tim Dwight’s five)
• 182 punt return yards vs. UMass – fourth-most in Big Ten history
• Currently has a 17.5 career punt return average (53 returns, 929 yards) – ranks No. 1 in Big Ten history.  His 929 career yards are 10th-most in Big Ten history. 
• His 538 punt return yards in 2025 are an Iowa record and the seventh-most in Big Ten history
• 100-yard kickoff return touchdown vs. Rutgers – tied a Big Ten record
• 27.3 career kickoff return average – Currently ranks No. 3 in Big Ten history
• First player with three punt return touchdowns and a kickoff return touchdown in a single season in Big Ten history
• Six career combined kickoff/punt return touchdowns – Iowa record, passing Hawkeye great Tim Dwight (5)
• Six career 100+ yard combined return games
• 2024 recipient of the Jet Award… Iowa’s first honoree… no player has ever won the award twice
• Only player in the nation with a punt and kickoff return for a touchdown in both 2024 and 2025… also has a receiving and rushing touchdown in 2025

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 currently made 73 career field goals during his four-year Hawkeye career. 
• The South Carolina native is 19-for-25 in field goal attempts this season. He is 13th in the NCAA (second in the Big Ten) in field goals per game (1.73).
• Stevens made a career-long 58-yard field goal in Week 11 against Oregon to tie an Iowa and Kinnick Stadium record. The 58-yarder is tied for the third-longest field goal in the nation this season.
• Stevens made a game-winning 44-yard field goal as time expired to give the Hawkeyes a 20-17 Senior Day victory over Michigan State in Week 13. It was Stevens’ fourth career game-winning field goal (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).
• Stevens has 12 career makes from 50+ yards – an Iowa school record.
• He made 15 consecutive field goals from Week 10 of the 2024 season to Week 3 of the 2025 season. 
• Stevens is currently sixth in Big Ten history with his 73 career field goals. 
• Stevens is currently tied for seventh in Big Ten history with his 71 field goals. 

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 211 career victories.
• Ferentz has 133 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