Mark Gronowski threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to help No. 23 Iowa overcome a late surge to beat No. 14 Vanderbilt 34-27 in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Wednesday afternoon in Tampa, Fla.
Gronowski, who won back-to-back FCS national titles at South Dakota State (2022, 2023) before spending his final season with the Hawkeyes, completed 16 of 22 passes for 212 yards and an interception, adding 54 rushing yards.
Selected the game’s Most Valuable Player, Gronowski extended his own NCAA wins record, finishing his collegiate career with 58, the most at any level.
“I’m just so proud of our guys,” Gronowski said. “Everyone came out here ready to play. We gave it our best football out here. It was just a lot of fun to come out here one last time with the guys.”
Tight end DJ Vonnahme led the Hawkeyes (9-4) with a career-high 146 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. Kamari Moulton added 95 yards and a score on 14 carries.
The Commodores (10-3) scored four of the final five times they touched the ball after tallying just three first-half points. Heisman runner-up Diego Pavia was largely muted in the first half before awakening in the second half to finish with 347 passing yards, a team-high 36 rushing yards to account for a combined three scores in his final collegiate game.
All-American tight end Eli Stowers opted out of the game for Vanderbilt, but Tre Richardson and Junior Sherrill stepped up with 127 and 123 receiving yards, respectively.
Gronowski’s 44-yard scramble on Iowa’s opening drive set up a 4-yard score by Moulton 2:05 into the game.
The Hawkeyes nearly doubled their lead next drive with a 51-yard catch by Vonnahme down to the 4. However, Martel Hight came up with a diving end-zone interception on the next play.
Vanderbilt got on the board with 7:49 left in the first half when a 13-play drive ended with Brock Taylor’s 41-yard field goal.
It appeared that was going to be the halftime score before Iowa got a gift when Vanderbilt punter Nick Haberer crossed the line of scrimmage before kicking the ball, a penalty which gave the Hawkeyes the ball at the Commodores’ 10 with less than a minute left.
They needed just one play to cash in, with Gronowski throwing a 10-yard TD to Reece Vander Zee to give Iowa a 14-3 halftime lead.
Another Iowa passing touchdown, this one 21 yards to Vonnahme, made it 21-3 with 8:50 left in the third quarter.
Eleven seconds later, Vanderbilt finally reached the end zone on a 75-yard bomb from Pavia to Richardson.
Pavia and the Commodores cut the deficit to one score three times in the second half, with a 16-yard TD to Joseph McVay late in the third quarter, Pavia’s 11-yard keeper with 11:19 left and a field-goal drive that cut it to 34-27 with 2:58 left.
But Iowa scored the final three times it touched the ball before running out the clock, twice on field goals by Drew Stevens and once on a 1-yard keeper by Gronowski to never allow Vanderbilt to get the ball back with a chance to tie the score.
