No. 23 Iowa football ends ranked losing streak with win over No. 14 Vanderbilt in ReliaQuest Bowl

TAMPA, Fla. — There was nothing to lose, but something to gain. Open the playbook and see what the 2025 Hawkeyes can scheme up on the national stage.

In a bowl game with with minimal opt-outs and a new addition to the SEC vs. Big Ten argument, there was bound to be flashy plays and momentum swings galore. Sure enough, what was advertised was delivered in Raymond James Stadium.

“This is exactly why bowl games are significant,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said.

It was the final game of the season, taking place a month after Iowa finished its regular season in Nebraska. The Hawkeyes had one final chance to pick up a signature win against No. 14 Vanderbilt.

At long last, the drought ended in the Sunshine State. No. 23 Iowa football took down No. 14 Vanderbilt (10-3) in a 34-27 win at the ReliaQuest Bowl. It’s the fourth time Iowa has won the bowl game formerly the Outback Bowl.

“We would like to play but that's the spirit of our program,” Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said. “And obviously Iowa has that in their DNA too, and I got so much respect for them.”

As much as the Hawkeyes did their part for most of the first half, Vanderbilt mistakes made it significantly easier. Gaps in coverage led to quarterback Mark Gronowski recording over 100 passing yards in the first half — including a 51-yard pass to tight end DJ Vonnahme in the first quarter.

Running back Kamari Moulton scored Iowa’s first points of the game on the opening drive. He followed up two 8-yard carries and a Gronowski 44-yard burst with a 4-yard score. Moulton finished the game with 95 rushing yards and the touchdown.

The Hawkeyes’ offense gave up an interception in the end zone during its second drive of the game, after Gronowski’s pass to running back Xavier Williams took a couple bounces before falling into the hands of Vanderbilt’s Martel High.

Wednesday’s bowl game was the first time this season where Gronowski surpassed 200 passing yards, finishing the game with 212 and two passing touchdowns and the first-quarter pick.

It was truly the lone key mistake of the first half — solely because Gronowski blindly fished out his own fumble after being tackled from behind to save a second turnover.

“I saw his body bounce up in the air along with the ball, and I just saw a quick second, and I was able to stick my arm in there, get my arm over the top of it,” Gronowski said. “Underneath those piles, you don't want to know what happens, but I just fought for every inch in that moment.”

Instead of the Diego Pavia show, it was the Karson Sharar and Ethan Hurkett show. The two Hawkeye defenders helped sack the Vanderbilt quarterback four times in the first half, including Sharar’s solo sack that sent gasps through the crowd.

The Commodores’ costly first-half errors — including a botched fake-punt-turned-turnover-on-downs play that led to Iowa’s Reece Vander Zee’s toe-drag touchdown catch — put Iowa in front by 18.

Considering how smothering the first half felt for Vanderbilt, when Pavia finally connected on a 71-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, it looked like a breath of air was inside the Commodores’ lungs again. He cut it down to a one-score game by the start of the fourth quarter with a second passing touchdown two drives later, on a 16-yard seam pass to Joseph McVay.

The Heisman runner-up ended his game with 347 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, as well as a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter to keep Vanderbilt within striking distance.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a 2025 Hawkeye football game without a Gronowksi rushing touchdown. He found his way into the end zone from a yard out for his 16th rushing score of the year, tying the Big Ten single season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with former Michigan Wolverine Denard Robinson.

Iowa put together one final, lengthy drive in the fourth quarter to eat up the clock and force Vanderbilt to play through the Commodores’ final moments of a comeback on defense. Iowa lined up in victory formation two more times.

“It's not always easy to continue to win, continue to stay confident,” Gronowski said. “But you know, this opportunity that I was given, I wouldn't trade it for the world.”

The drought is over. The Hawkeyes send out their senior class happy, and the clock on 2026 starts now.

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