NOTES: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. No. 14 Vanderbilt

1ST & 10
• Iowa accepted an invitation to the 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl for the sixth time in program history and first since 2018.
• The Hawkeyes have qualified for a bowl game in 13 straight seasons.
• Iowa is currently one of four teams in FBS to have won at least eight games in each of the last 10 completed seasons (Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State). The Hawkeyes have won 9+ games 10 times under head coach Kirk Ferentz.  
• Iowa’s four losses in 2025 have come by a combined 15 points (3, 5, 2, 5).
• The Hawkeyes had two players earn consensus All-America honors in center Logan Jones and return specialist Kaden Wetjen.  It is the third straight year the program has had multiple consensus All-Americans.
• Jones was a unanimous consensus All-American and the program’s second recipient of the Rimington Trophy. Iowa is the only school in the nation to have a unanimous consensus All-American every year since 2021.
• Iowa’s offensive line won the Joe Moore Award for a second time in program history. The award honors the nation’s top offensive line.
• Wetjen was named the Rodgers-Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year for a second straight season. He is the first two-time recipient in conference history.
• Wetjen, a Jett Award finalist, is No. 1 in the nation in combined return yards (965). He is the only player in Big Ten history to have three punt return TDs and a kick return TD in the same season and the only player in the nation to have both a KR and PR touchdown in 2025.
• Iowa had 21 players earn All-Big Ten recognition, including four first-team All-Big Ten selections, and four different players garner All-America honors.
• QB Mark Gronowski holds Iowa’s single season records for most rushing yards by a quarterback (491) and most rushing touchdowns (15).  He has a record 57 career victories as a collegiate QB.
• Gronowski scored a touchdown in Iowa’s first 10 games this season. The streak was the longest by a Big Ten quarterback all-time. His 15 total rushing TDs are tops in the Big Ten, seventh-most nationally and tied for the second-most among FBS quarterbacks. The 15 rushing TDs are a single season record by an Iowa quarterback and the second-most in Big Ten history.
• PK Drew Stevens has made 74 career field goals -- the most in program history. He is also second in school history in career scoring (342). 

THE SERIES
• Iowa and Vanderbilt will meet for the first time in program history.
• The Hawkeyes are 14-20 all-time against current members of the Southeastern Conference, including 8-10 against SEC opponents in bowl games.

CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICANS
Graduate center Logan Jones earned unanimous consensus All-America honors, while graduate return specialist Kaden Wetjen was a consensus All-American.  The duo became Iowa’s 34th and 35th consensus All-Americans during the 2025 season.  
• Jones was a unanimous consensus All-American, earning first-team honors by Walter Camp, AP, The Sporting News, FWAA and AFCA, while Wetjen was a first-team selection by Walter Camp, The Sporting News and FWAA, while being a second-team selection by the AFCA.
• Jones is the 17th unanimous consensus All-American in program history.
• Iowa is the only school in the nation to have a unanimous consensus All-American every year since 2021.  The Hawkeyes have six unanimous All-Americans since 2021.
• Nineteen of Iowa’s 35 consensus All-Americans have come during the Kirk Ferentz era.  
• The Hawkeyes have had multiple consensus All-Americans eight times in program history, including each of the last three seasons (1981, 1984, 2002, 2003, 2017, 2023, 2024, 2025).  

ALL-AMERICA TIDBITS
• Iowa is the only school in the country to have two offensive players earn first-team AP All-America honors. 
• Iowa has had an AP first-team All-American in seven consecutive seasons, the longest streak nationally.  No other FBS program has a streak longer than four straight years.
• The Hawkeyes have had at least one AP first or second team All-American in 12 consecutive seasons, dating back to the 2014 seasons (2014-25).
• Iowa has had at least one Walter Camp All-American in each of the past 12 seasons, dating back to 2015.  Iowa has the longest active streak nationally with having a first-team All-American (2019-25).
• The Hawkeyes have had multiple Walter Camp All-Americans in six of the last seven seasons, including three straight seasons with multiple first-team honorees.
• Iowa has had multiple AFCA All-Americans in three straight seasons (2023, 2024, 2025).
• The Hawkeyes have had three Sporting News All-Americans in each of the past three seasons (2023, 2024, 2025).
• Iowa has had a FWAA All-American (first or second team) in 13 straight seasons, dating back to 2013, the second-longest active streak in the country (Alabama, 17).  During the streak, a Hawkeye earned first team honors 18 times and second team five times.
• Iowa has had multiple FWAA All-Americans in each of the last seven seasons (2019-25).
• Over the last four seasons, Iowa has had 10 FWAA All-Americans, second only to Ohio State (12).
• The Hawkeyes have had a special teams All-American five of the last seven seasons.  
• Iowa led the nation with four Pro Football Focus All-Americans.  

THE BEST LINE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Iowa’s offensive line consisting of center Logan Jones, guards Beau Stephens and Kade Pieper and tackles Gennings Dunker and Trevor Lauck has been named the recipient of the Joe Moore Award, given to the nation’s top offensive line. 
• It is the second time Iowa has received the award (2016, 2025) and the Hawkeyes have been a semifinalist four times (2016, 2020, 2024, 2025). 
• The Hawkeyes are one of three schools to earn the distinction more than once, joining Alabama and Michigan.
• Iowa’s offensive line is one of eight schools nationally to start the same five players in every game this season. It is the first time the Hawkeyes have started the same five players on the O-line since 2013.
• The Hawkeye offensive line, which had all five players earn All-Big Ten honors and three earn All-America recognition, has given up 16 sacks in the team’s 12 games.
• Iowa was the only school to have three offensive linemen earn AP All-Big Ten honors.
• Jones (50 starts), Dunker (37 starts) and Stephens (33 starts) have combined to start 120 games in their collegiate careers.  
• Guard Beau Stephens led all Power Four guards with an 88.3 PFF grade and his 92.9 pass-blocking grade is the best among all guards in America.  He did not allow a sack or hit allowed and had only three pressures surrendered all season.
• Guard Kade Pieper’s 82.7 grade leads all FBS right guards.  He was the only right guard in the nation with 80.0-plus grades as a run-and-pass-blocker and he didn’t allow a sack on 293 pass-blocking snaps.
• The first, and only, accepted holding penalty against an Iowa offensive lineman this season occurred in Game 10 against USC (Gennings Dunker in the final drive of the first half).  

THE TOP CENTER IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Senior Logan Jones became the second Hawkeye all-time to win the Rimington Trophy, presented to the nation’s top center.  
• Jones, who has started all 12 games and 50 career contests, anchors Iowa’s offensive line that is the Joe Moore Award winner as the nation’s top unit. He has served as an Iowa captain each week this season, he is the top-rated center in the country by Pro Football Focus (by nearly two points) and he has not been flagged for an offensive holding penalty in 2025.
• Jones is the only center in America who has top-five marks as a pass blocker (second) and run blocker (third). 
• He joins Tyler Linderbaum (2021) as Iowa’s Rimington Trophy honorees.  The Hawkeyes are one of four schools (Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama) to have multiple Rimington Trophy recipients.

GRONOWSKI IN 2025
Graduate Mark Gronowski has completed 150-of-240 attempts for 1,529 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games this season. The Illinois native also has 491 rushing yards (second-most on the team) and is leading the team with 16 touchdowns (15 rushing, 1 receiving).
• His 15 rushing touchdowns are No. 1 in the Big Ten and ninth 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 to date.
• 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.
• In the regular season finale at Nebraska, Gronowski completed 9-of-16 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, while rushing 13 times for 64 yards and two touchdowns – his third multi rushing TD game this season.
• Gronowski has had both a passing and rushing touchdown six times this season -- Week 1 versus UAlbany, Week 3 versus UMass, Week 9 vs. Minnesota, Week 11 versus Oregon, Week 12 at USC and Week 14 at Nebraska. He has 32 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 11,837 career passing yards, 2,258 career rushing yards, 101 career passing touchdowns and 52 career rushing touchdowns. 

CONSISTENT D
• Iowa’s defense ranks seventh in the nation in passing defense (158.2), eighth in total defense (270.6) and scoring defense (14.7), ninth in first down defense (183) and 24th in rushing defense (112.4) through 12 games in 2025. 
• The defensive unit has limited big plays, yielding just seven runs of 20+ yards and eight pass plays of 30+ yards.
• Iowa’s defense has surrendered just four scoring drives of 80 yards or more through 12 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.

STIFF RUN D
The Hawkeyes’ rushing defense has held three opponents under 50 yards and five opponents under 100 yards. Iowa is seventh in the Big Ten and 24th nationally in rushing defense, allowing 112.4 rush yards per game.

NEW LBs STEPPING UP
Graduate linebacker Karson Sharar is leading the team 78 tackles, including a team-high 10 tackles for loss, through the first 12 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 six of the last seven games against Wisconsin, Penn State, Wisconsin, Oregon, USC and Nebraska. He had a career-high eight tackles in Week 11 versus Oregon and seven stops at Nebraska.

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 17.9 career punt return average (52 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
• 27.6 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
• First two-time recipient of the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year, given to the top return specialist in the Big Ten Conference
• 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 74 career field goals during his four-year Hawkeye career. 
• The South Carolina native is 20-for-26 in field goal attempts this season. His 20 makes are tied for a career-high and for the sixth-most in a single season in program history. He is 17th in the NCAA (third in the Big Ten) in field goals per game (1.67).
• 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 74 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 212 career victories.
• Ferentz has 134 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 (10/12/24) - 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