Instant Analysis: Vanderbilt Football Ends Season With Loss Against Iowa in ReliaQuest Bowl

Vandy On SI’s Joey Dwyer, Graham Baakko and Dylan Tovitz break down Vanderbilt’s loss to Iowa.

Dec 31, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back TJ Hall (2) breaks up a pass to Vanderbilt Commodores wide receiver Tre Richardson (6) in the second quarter during the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Vanderbilt’s 2025 season finale did not go as planned as it dropped its third game of the season to Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl 34-27.

The tone was set from the third play of the game. Vanderbilt got pressure on Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski and had an attempt to sack him, but Gronowski escaped for a 44-yard run on a possession that put Iowa up 7-0.

Vanderbilt did force a turnover in the end zone on the next possession and cut the lead to 7-3. But one of the gravest mistakes of the season came in the final minutes of the first half. Vanderbilt sent out punter Nick Haberer to punt on a 4th and 27. Haberer to the snap and ran past the line of scrimmage before punting the ball down the field.

Because Haberer went past the line of scrimmage, it was a penalty that counted as a Vanderbilt turnover, setting Iowa up with a first down on the Vanderbilt 10-yard line. On the next play, Iowa scored a touchdown to go up 14-3 into halftime. 

In the second half, Vanderbilt did come alive offensively after going down 21-3 despite missing starting tight end Eli Stowers. Stowers' absence was felt, but Vanderbilt's decisions to go at a faster pace on offense helped. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia hit Tre Richardson on a 75-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-10 before finding wide receiver Joseph McVay in the end zone on the next possession to cut the Iowa lead to 24-17.

It was clear that the switch to go up-tempo offensively worked seamlessly, but Vanderbilt could not stop Iowa’s offense. The Joe Moore Award winners in the Iowa offensive line flexed its muscle against Vanderbilt’s defense all game long. Even in obvious running situations, Vanderbilt could not find the key stop.

The Commodores trailed 31-24 with 11 minutes left in the game, but a seven-minute field goal drive from Iowa ended up being the dagger in Vanderbilt’s heart.

"They played better football than we did today, and that team we played against is going to make it hard on you if you don't play a clean game. And we did not, we did not do that. The three phases never really synced up," Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said. "We ended the game one stop away and that really hurts. But I told the guys there's no one phase, no one player that takes responsibility for this."

With the loss, Vanderbilt finished the 2025 season with a record of 10-3. Despite the loss, Vanderbilt still had a season to remember as it had 10 wins in a season for the first time in program history and beat three teams ranked in the AP Top 15 for the first time ever. The 2025 Vanderbilt Commodores will nonetheless go down in school history as perhaps the greatest football team the school has seen.