Minnesota HC Praises Iowa's Mark Gronowski Ahead of Matchup

The current B1G college football landscape, at the middle juncture of the 2025 season, exhibits a five-way tie for the fourth position in the conference. In addition to the Iowa Hawkeyes at 5-2 (3-1), the Michigan Wolverines, USC Spartans, Northwestern Wildcats and Minnesota Golden Gophers share the same record and, subsequently, the same spot in the standings.

Whichever team(s) can continue to win and break the gridlock will have a chance to, ultimately, compete in one of the NCAA's premier football conferences. Interestingly enough, the Iowa Hawkeyes are set to face off against the latter Golden Gophers in a game that will lend itself to breaking that split either way.

Credit Where Credit is Due

The Gophers' head coach and chronic tie-wearer P.J. Fleck, in previewing the matchup, honed in on the Hawkeyes' senior quarterback Mark Gronowski, giving the signal caller ample praise prior to trying to beat him on the road this weekend.

"Where do you wanna start? He runs the ball like a running back, throws it like a quarterback. He's really, really intelligent," Fleck said. "He's different than [Dylan] Raiola in a lot of different areas. He's like a running back playing quarterback. If you could take Darius [Taylor] and Drake [Lindsey] and put them together, that would be him. I think that's kinda the best way to describe him."

Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming off a dominant, 24-6 win over the previously ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, Fleck and his Gophers team are set to face an entirely different beast under center than the aforementioned, pass-first pocket presence that is Dylan Raiola for Nebraska.

A Winner Under Center

"He's a winner," Fleck said of Gronowski. "All he has done is win. I think that should never be lost on anybody. When you have a winner at quarterback, all they do is win."

Fleck's golden analysis of the Hawkeyes' QB comes in the wake of he and Iowa's 25-24 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions last week, in which Gronowski rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns all by himself.

While his efforts were limited through the air, clearly, that aspect of the offense wasn't necessary to the Hawkeyes controlling the game script.

The Golden Gophers will likely scheme to specifically try and stop Gronowski's efforts on the ground, but then again, haven't also the five teams he and Iowa have beat already? This weekend's game will go a long way in shaping the rest of the Hawkeyes season, and much of their success will fall on the efficiency of Mark Gronowski running the football.

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