Iowa Moving Forward After Disappointing USC Loss

The Iowa Hawkeyes most recently lost to the USC Trojans 26-21, falling to an overall record of 6-4 on the season.

Against USC, Iowa rushed for 183 yards in addition to throwing for 137 across both Mark Gronowski and Reece Vander Lee at quarterback. Tight end DJ Vonnahme led the Hawkeyes in receiving yards with 59 across four receptions. The defense posted 50 total tackles, but allowed USC to post 360 total offensive yards and the final score of 26-21.

But, with Michigan State and Nebraska still left on the regular-season schedule, the Hawkeyes must focus on moving forward.

Kirk Ferentz Discusses Recent Loss, Moving Forward in Nov. 18 Press Conference

And moving forward is exactly what head coach Kirk Ferentz discussed in his weekly press conference.

"Obviously we are disappointed with the outcome over the weekend and came up short in that game. I thought our guys had great attitude and worked really hard, handled the week well," Ferentz said. "And USC did a great job in that second half, so give them credit. They made the plays that needed to be made."

In Sept. of 2025, Ferentz became the winningest head coach in Big Ten History following a win over UMass by a score of 47-7.

Ferentz currently has a 210-128 career record across 27 years. His bowl record is 10-11 across 21 games.

Iowa's players doused Ferentz in Gatorade to celebrate the benchmark.

"Sunday the guys came in with a great attitude, like every week, looked at the tape and learn from it, see what we can take away from each experience and really try to focus on the details of improvement. And then after that we move forward. I think the team has the right mindset."

Oct 18, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The HC added, "We've had great leadership. I've talked about that for quite a while, and it's been really consistent. That's critically important, certainly. And, again, it's all about moving on afterwards."

Ferentz said for now, his top priority is focused on the upcoming senior day game against Michigan State, which will also be the last time this particular group plays at Kinnick Stadium.

"We'll get to recognize 28 seniors on Saturday. It's a great group of guys. It's always kind of bittersweet, I think, for everybody involved, certainly for the players. It's the last time they're in Kinnick, which is a really special thing for each and every one of those guys," Ferentz said.

Don't forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!