Iowa vs. UMass Takeaways: RB Room in Good Hands

There are plenty of takeaways from a night where Iowa Hawkeyes HC became the winningest coach in Big 10 history. Iowa defeated UMass with ease, 47-7, to improve to 2-1 on the season. With conference play beginning next week, Iowa heads into Rutgers with tons of momentum.

Between QB Mark Gronowski showing out and WR Kaden Wetjen also making history, it would be easy to include either of them in this list. Instead, it's important to look at a few different players who played a major role in the Hawkeyes extending their undefeated streak over MAC opponents.

1. Two Receiving Touchdowns for Seth Anderson

It's not hard to see why fans were blown away by Gronowski's performance. The senior QB had fewer passing yards in Weeks 1 and 2 combined compared to his 179 yard effort in Week 3. Iowa has long been known for their lack of an offense as Ferentz loves to run the ball. While there's nothing wrong with that, it leaves star players like Seth Anderson in the dark.

Anderson came into Week 3 with just three receptions for 14 yards. The 6' 187-pound senior has been with Iowa for the past three seasons. He began his career at Charleston Southern where he put up a career high 612 receiving yards in 2022. Since then, he has just 296 combined.

Regardless, the UMass game saw Anderson return to form. It's unknown if he will remain Gronowski's favorite target, but two of his three receptions were for touchdowns. By the end of the game, he finished with three receptions for 26 yards and two touchdowns.

2. A Pair of Sacks for Max Llewellyn

Defense wins championships, at least that's what everyone says. Llewellyn already has three sacks this season, though they come against Albany and UMass. With a step up in competition looming, it'll be interesting to see if the senior is able to set a new career high.

One of the best things about Llewellyn is his ability to improve. He didn't do much in his freshman season, but the senior recorded 13 total tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2023. Last season, he increased those totals to 22 total tackles and 5.5 sacks. Through three games in 2025, he has six total tackles with three sacks.

3. Iowa's Running Back Room is in Good Hands

While there's always the transfer portal to consider, it's a great sign that two of Iowa's top running backs are freshmen. Nathan McNeil led the way with 10 carries for 56 yards. He had the second longest run of the night for 17 yards, though it was the longest run for any of the team's running backs.

The Hawkeyes' RB room has plenty of competition as junior Jaziun Patterson was right on his tail. This is his fourth season on the team as he recorded 10 carries for 54 yards. Right behind him was freshman Xavier Williams who also received eight carries.

After recording 122 yards in Week 1, Williams was able to get back on track. His 4.8 yards per carry are a great sign after he had just seven carries for 26 yards last week. Williams still leads the team with 186 rushing yards with Patterson's 161 right on his tail. Shockingly, McNeil is fifth on the team with just 70 yards through the first three games.

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