There is some uncertainty regarding the status of Iowa Hawkeyes star quarterback Mark Gronowski for this coming Saturday's game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Gronowski's status for the Wisconsin game is up in the air, as of Monday, according to Pete Nakos of On3.
“Iowa QB Mark Gronowski is viewed as day-to-day and his status against Wisconsin is unclear, sources tell @On3sports,” Nakos shared in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
The 24-year-old Gronowski suffered a lower-body injury in the fourth quarter of Week 5's Iowa football 20-15 loss at the hands of the No. 11 Indiana Hoosiers at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Gronowski got hurt while trying to pick up yards on the ground, and while he later showed he wanted to return to the contest, he ultimately missed the rest of the game, with Hank Brown taking over the duties under center for the Hawkeyes.
“He just didn't feel like he could decelerate if he ran,” Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz said following the game, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).
Gronowski, who transferred to the Hawkeyes after helping the South Dakota State Jackrabbits win not one but two FCS national titles, went 19-of-25 for 144 passing yards and zero touchdowns with an interception against the Hoosiers. He also rushed eight times for only seven yards to go along with a touchdown in the same contest. Meanwhile, Brown threw for 48 passing yards without a TD and got picked off, as he went 5-of-13 on his pass attempts.
There was also some added optimism on the status of Gronowski on Sunday, when Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports provided a separate update on the signal-caller.
“An update on Iowa starting QB Mark Gronowski, who suffered a knee injury last week vs. Indiana: His status is still relatively TBD, but one positive is that the injury isn’t considered long-term or season-ending, sources tell @CBSSports,” wrote Zenitz.
Brown can be expected to take over the QB1 duties temporarily in the Wisconsin game if Gronowski ultimately gets ruled out. In that case, the soonest Gronowski can return will be on Oct. 17, when the Hawkeyes host the Penn State Nittany Lions.
