Does Iowa Win if...

Does Iowa win if Gronk stays healthy


  • Total voters
    101

NoPuntsNoPeace

All-Conference
Jul 9, 2025
1,398
3,401
113
I genuinely believe that we get that first down with 2 minutes left if Mark was on the field. He adds enough depth to our offense to keep them guessing. If we get that, we drain the clock, Drew kick with no time left.
And we lose in OT?
 

Hawkedup

All-American
Jul 8, 2025
2,663
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Hard to say. We might have picked up another first down to move the ball closer for drew to miss an easier fg

true. But at least we could have ran the time out before missing the field goal sending it to ot.
 

AFM22

Heisman
Oct 31, 2022
19,317
36,942
113
I genuinely believe that we get that first down with 2 minutes left if Mark was on the field. He adds enough depth to our offense to keep them guessing. If we get that, we drain the clock, Drew kick with no time left.
So... overtime?
 

AlexanderUrinis

All-Conference
Feb 24, 2025
1,894
3,464
113
He put the ball in his backup quarterback's hands on 3rd and 5. If Brown makes that throw to Moulton there's a good chance they get the first down and Indiana never gets the ball back...
Sure, but he didn't. And everyone watching, coaching, and commenting on the game knew what they were doing with that play. Thats the point. The captain is so unbelievably predictable, we all know what's coming.
 

BioHawk2

All-American
Jun 29, 2025
2,902
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Can't miss field goals and our linebackers aren't up to snuff. Phil had zero confidence they could cover anyone out there so he kept blitzing hoping to keep the pressure on. Ended up getting burned by it. I'm not sure it matters beyond that. It's not like Iowa was scoring touchdowns when Gronowski was playing. That's the only way the game is different and I just don't see that happening.
 
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WDSMHawk

All-Conference
Jun 30, 2019
1,359
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Sure, but he didn't. And everyone watching, coaching, and commenting on the game knew what they were doing with that play. Thats the point. The captain is so unbelievably predictable, we all know what's coming.

Apparently everyone besides the 11 players on the field for Indiana knew what was coming because the play was open...

If Kirk went full full on conservative mode he would have ran it 3 times up the gut, got Indiana to burn their timeouts then kicked the field goal and given Indiana the ball back with 2:00 left. Instead he went for the win and gave his backup qb (who had just thrown an int) the opportunity to try and ice the game.
 

NoPuntsNoPeace

All-Conference
Jul 9, 2025
1,398
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Why are you saying overtime? Indiana had no time outs left. 2 minutes left. Get a first down, get a few run plays down the middle, bleed the clock and drew kick to go 16-10.
I believe it was tied 13-13. And who’s to say he wouldn’t have missed the next one? It’s not like the one he missed was terribly long.
 

HawkFranatic

Sophomore
Jul 5, 2025
52
118
32
Can't miss field goals and our linebackers aren't up to snuff. Phil had zero confidence they could cover anyone out there so he kept blitzing hoping to keep the pressure on. Ended up getting burned by it. I'm not sure it matters beyond that. It's not like Iowa was scoring touchdowns when Gronowski was playing. That's the only way the game is different and I just don't see that happening.
Our defense gave up 13 points to a great offense. This isn’t on them. Phil called a great game.
 

AFM22

Heisman
Oct 31, 2022
19,317
36,942
113
Why are you saying overtime? Indiana had no time outs left. 2 minutes left. Get a first down, get a few run plays down the middle, bleed the clock and drew kick to go 16-10.
Because game was tied 13-13 and Drew missed it.
 
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AlexanderUrinis

All-Conference
Feb 24, 2025
1,894
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Apparently everyone besides the 11 players on the field for Indiana knew what was coming because the play was open...

If Kirk went full full on conservative mode he would have ran it 3 times up the gut, got Indiana to burn their timeouts then kicked the field goal and given Indiana the ball back with 2:00 left. Instead he went for the win and gave his backup qb (who had just thrown an int) the opportunity to try and ice the game.
So it worked then? They got a first down? Or it got blown up?
 

herkyou2

Redshirt
Jul 2, 2025
49
34
18
He does give a better chance then Brown but the offense hadn't been good in the 2nd half. In MG is in the defense is more then likely different then what we saw with Brown in there. Impossible to know but neither offense was doing much of anything for most of the day
 

AlexanderUrinis

All-Conference
Feb 24, 2025
1,894
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It didn't. Because the backup qb couldn't make a 3 yard throw to an open rb....

Which why I created this thread. It's pretty clear that Gronk not being able to finish the game hurt Iowa's chances of winning it.
I need to re-watch the play, was on a phone in an airport. I remember pressure in the QBs face which forced the errant throw. They knew that screen was coming. As did everyone else watching the game.
 

WDSMHawk

All-Conference
Jun 30, 2019
1,359
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I need to re-watch the play, was on a phone in an airport. I remember pressure in the QBs face which forced the errant throw. They knew that screen was coming. As did everyone else watching the game.

It was a screen, there's always going to be some pressure on the qb. Moulton was open and had enough blockers out in front to get the first, if not more.
 
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AlexanderUrinis

All-Conference
Feb 24, 2025
1,894
3,464
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It was a screen, there's always going to be some pressure on the qb. Moulton was open and had enough blockers out in front to get the first, if not more.
Understood, I actually played the game. Pressure up the middle kills that every time. They knew it was coming. I knew it was coming. The commentator knew it was coming. That is the point.
 
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SCHawkeye2

Sophomore
Nov 8, 2023
102
181
43
Can't miss field goals and our linebackers aren't up to snuff. Phil had zero confidence they could cover anyone out there so he kept blitzing hoping to keep the pressure on. Ended up getting burned by it. I'm not sure it matters beyond that. It's not like Iowa was scoring touchdowns when Gronowski was playing. That's the only way the game is different and I just don't see that happening.
Not on Phil.
Called great game for D.
Players have to tackle / execute..
 

BioHawk2

All-American
Jun 29, 2025
2,902
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Our defense gave up 13 points to a great offense. This isn’t on them. Phil called a great game.
I agree with you. I guess I should have said injuries impacted the defensive play calls on that last drive Indiana had.
 

DukeSlater

All-Conference
Jul 2, 2023
1,912
4,504
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I genuinely believe that we get that first down with 2 minutes left if Mark was on the field. He adds enough depth to our offense to keep them guessing. If we get that, we drain the clock, Drew kick with no time left.
I think MG ran two or three times on called QB runs. He wasn't much of a threat, at all. And, of course, Lester never let him throw the ball more than 10 yards down the field, erasing Iowa's biggest deep threat, Dayton Howard, who wasn't targeted once all game despite making the catch of the year last week at Rutgers. I'm not sure I see a helluva lot of difference, in terms of results, between Lester and BF. I mean Iowa's offense put up 13 points vs. ISU and managed 13 more yesterday. You score 21 in each game and you're undefeated. But Lester and his fancy offense run by a million-dollar QB cannot get it done. Wow.
 

DukeSlater

All-Conference
Jul 2, 2023
1,912
4,504
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Can't miss field goals and our linebackers aren't up to snuff. Phil had zero confidence they could cover anyone out there so he kept blitzing hoping to keep the pressure on. Ended up getting burned by it. I'm not sure it matters beyond that. It's not like Iowa was scoring touchdowns when Gronowski was playing. That's the only way the game is different and I just don't see that happening.
Blitzing kept Iowa in the game. X's safety blitz led to the INT that should have sealed the game for Iowa. The entire blame for this loss, as usual, falls on the failure of the offense to score more than 13 freakin' points, even after the D gives them a short field with the time winding down and 70,000 fans going nuts.