Wisconsin Badgers' chances at beating Iowa got smaller with Hawkeyes' injury update

After showing signs of life against Michigan last week, Wisconsin welcomes Iowa to Camp Randall on Saturday for what's expected to be one of the few winnable games left on the Badgers' schedule.

Iowa is coming off a bye week, but they have some lingering injury concerns, including starting quarterback Mike Gronowski.

Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz provided an update Tuesday on Gronowski and other injured offensive playmakers.

Badgers likely to face Gronowski

Gronowski suffered a knee injury in Iowa's Week 5 loss to Indiana, and early reports indicated only that it wasn't a long-term issue.

However Ferentz made it sound like Gronowski might not miss a game. The South Dakota State transfer logged a full practice Tuesday and has been progressing well.

Mark Gronowski practiced normally today. The testing came back positive. Now it’s about how fast he can progress and what he can do.

“Pleasantly surprised, quite frankly.”
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) October 7, 2025

His availability remains up in the air, and Iowa may not be willing to start Gronowski if he isn't 100 percent. Still, Iowa is trending toward having him under center Saturday.

The senior hasn't been statistically outstanding in 2025, completing 64.2 percent off his passes for 636 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. However, he's punished teams with his legs, totaling 150 yards and seven scores on the ground.

Their backup quarterback is Hank Brown, an Auburn transfer who completed 5-of-13 passes for 48 yards and an INT against Indiana.

Gronowski's health isn't the only bad news for Wisconsin's victory chances, with 6-foot-4 sophomore wide receiver Reece Vander Zee also having a chance to return, albeit in a limited fashion.

Vander Zee shined as a true freshman but hasn't appeared in a game this season due to a foot injury. He returned to practice this week.

Per Kirk Ferentz, Reece Vander Zee has a chance to play at Wisconsin. The 6'4" WR caught 14 passes for 176 yards and three scores in 2024.

"We can start to work him in now. He looked fine out there today. Now he has to start building a base."https://t.co/R1tdcqjioV
— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) October 7, 2025

Gronowski and Vander Zee being available will not transform Iowa's aerial attack into anything overly impressive, but it will make the Badgers have to respect the passing game — which is all Iowa needs to succeed.

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