It’s time for another edition of “Spencer’s Sunday Thoughts” – a weekly column focused on college football headlines in Iowa, the Big Ten, Big 12 and beyond. Here’s what’s on my mind this week:
What a wild game this was. The score “20-17” was in my head all week, because you know what you’re going to get when a Kirk Ferentz coached team goes up against a Greg Schiano coached team – a tough, physical, (usually) low scoring game. Instead – the teams combined for 42 points in the first half, with Rutgers moving the ball seemingly at will against the normally stout Hawkeye defense.
Give credit where credit is due, though, the Hawkeyes largely shut down the Scarlet Knights in the second half, and the Iowa offense continued to show progress as they pulled off a win in front of a record crowd at SHI Stadium.
My top performers from the game:
- Kaden Wetjen – I mean, what else can you say about him? Wetjen returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown that got Iowa off to a fast start. Rutgers answered with two straight scoring drives to take a 14-7 lead, but the early score was a jolt of confidence on the road, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Wetjen got the Special Teams Player of the Week honor for a second consecutive week
- Mark Gronowski. He wasn’t perfect, but man, was he clutch down the stretch. The Hawkeyes’ starter ran for three touchdowns, including the go-ahead and game clinching score in the fourth quarter. Gronowski finished 12-of-18 for 188 yards, including a clutch 42 yard pass to Dayton Howard to set up the go-ahead score in the 4th. He still missed some throws – but this type of performance is what Iowa brought Gronowski in for, and they hope to see more of it moving forward
- Ethan Hurkett/Jaxon Rexroth – the duo of Cedar Rapids Xavier alums both had impact plays – with Hurkett blocking a field goal in the third quarter, and Rexroth collecting the Hawkeyes’ first turnover of the season in the second half.
The competition only gets tougher from here on out, but winning on the road in front of a raucous crowd is definitely a confidence builder. Let’s see what happens in the Big Ten home opener next week against Indiana.
Big Ten Notes:
Speaking of Indiana – I don’t think anyone saw the Hoosiers’ 63-10 destruction of ninth-ranked Illinois coming yesterday. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was incredible – completing 21 of 23 passes for 267 yards and five touchdowns, two of them to Elijah Sarratt. Khobie Martin ran for two scores and the Hoosier’s defense tallied seven sacks on the day, making it a long afternoon for Luke Altmyer and company.
Curt Cignetti and company bring a lot of momentum into Iowa City this week – can Kirk Ferentz and staff draw up a game plan to slow them down? We’ll find out on Saturday.
–Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Nebraska football lost another one-score game.
Tale as old as time – song as old as rhyme, at least lately for Husker Football.
Michigan’s run game was the story in this one – as the Wolverines got 149 yards rushing from Justice Haynes – and 290 yards in total to beat the Huskers in Lincoln. Nebraska’s run game was held in check by Michigan, while Patrick MahDylan Raiola threw the ball 41 times(!) for 308 yards and three scores, including a hail mary touchdown just before halftime.
Both teams have pretty manageable schedules coming up – with the Huskers playing Michigan State, Maryland and Minnesota after their bye week, and Michigan hosting Wisconsin, playing at USC and hosting Washington following their bye.
–I don’t know if Wisconsin will win another game this season. Not after they let their best (and maybe only) chance at a conference win slip away in an embarrassing 27-10 loss to Maryland at Camp Randall Stadium. Danny O’Neill threw for only 120 yards and an interception in the loss, while the Badgers run game was non-existent (again).
When fans are chanting “Fire Fickell”, the stadium is half empty in the 4th quarter, and the Athletic Director (who honestly should also be on the hot seat) is giving the head coach the dreaded “vote of confidence” things are not going well.
After the bye, Wisconsin plays at Michigan, hosts Iowa, hosts Ohio State and travels to Oregon. They also have to play at Indiana and host Illinois later this year. A 2-10 record is a real possibility in Madison.
What stood out to you in week four? Send me an email – spencer@kgymradio.com or find me on social media to continue the conversation.
Spencer Wagen is the host of “Spencer on Sports”, weekdays from 4-6 PM on 1600 ESPN. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @SWOnTheRadio
