Iowa Survives Senior Day Scare Against Michigan State

The Iowa Hawkeyes entered their weekend matchup with the Michigan State Spartans not only as heavy favorites, but on a two-game skid of their own. On Senior Day with the energy at a relative low, the black and gold were looking for a conference win for morale purposes, if nothing else. What ensued against the Spartans was almost the team's worst loss of the season, saved only by some late-game heroics from the previously non-factor Hawkeyes offense.

A Season at Stake

After scoring just seven points through three quarters and, at one point, being down 17-7 entering the fourth period, Iowa appeared to be primed to take their third straight loss and send seismic waves of shock throughout the team and, inevitably, the fanbase. Yet senior quarterback Mark Gronowski uncorked the passing game down the stretch to keep his team alive with a redeemable season on the line.

Reaching a final tally of 147 yards and one touchdown, in spite of an interception to match, the seasoned QB showed up when it mattered most. Inversely, after chalking up 14 points in a particularly painful third quarter, the Spartans were stifled by the Hawkeyes' defense in that pivotal final period.

Throughout the game, Hawkeyes fans had taken to X (Twitter) to react to a scoreboard that saw Iowa trailing for essentially the entire middle portion of the match in spite of their eventual win.

This loss would be the worst loss in years for the Hawkeyes. The type of loss that sets your program back. Sickening stuff at Kinnick.
— Iowa-Cub (@Iowa_Cub) November 22, 2025

Avoiding a Program Setback

"This loss would be the worst loss in years for the Hawkeyes," said one fan online. "The type of loss that sets your program back. Sickening stuff at Kinnick."

On the surface, Iowa improving to 7-4 appears markedly less impressive than the goals that the team had been in reach to achieve just weeks ago, boasting hefty AP Poll votes and an official ranking on the College Football Playoff slate. Has their recent schedule been packed with ranked teams and, most recently, a headlining B1G road game? Yes, but all the same, great teams beat ranked teams.

If nobody else knows the pain of losing subsequent battles against teams with numbers next to their name, Hawkeyes fans do.

Even so, on the coattail of a game-winning field goal from Drew Stevens, Iowa is now at least in range to match their 8-5 finish to last season. With one more game on the road remaining against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, fans can look forward to a considerably compelling bowl game, at least.

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