Guts & Moxie: Takeaways as Iowa football moves to 5-2 with resilient win over Penn State

It took nearly the entire 60 minutes for the Iowa Hawkeyes to put the Penn State Nittany Lions to bed, but in the end, after a rollercoaster of an adventure, Iowa did just that to win the game 25-24.

The win moves Iowa to 5-2 on the season with a strong 3-1 mark in Big Ten play, and suddenly, the Hawkeyes have everything right in front of them as they continue through the meat of the schedule.

Iowa seemingly tried its hardest to give this game away to Penn State at times, almost daring them to blow them out, but dug deep in the second half and put together an incredibly resilient comeback after facing an 11-point deficit.

While Iowa soaks this one in, as they should, check out the biggest takeaways from this contest.

This is what Mark Gronowski came to Iowa for

This game, this moment, this type of performance under pressure, in front of a sold-out Kinnick Stadium; this is why you brought in Mark Gronowski. This was special, this was gutsy, this was awesome from the Iowa quarterback.

You can look at box scores until your face turns blue if you'd like, or you can turn on the film and see that Mark Gronowski is absolutely clutch down the stretch and has the moxie to take the ball in big moments.

Mark Gronowski finds green grass and takes off for the Iowa Hawkeyes!!! pic.twitter.com/0XVtwU3mxs— Hawkeyes Wire (@HawkeyesWire) October 19, 2025

Sure, he was just 10-16 in the passing game, but he more than redeemed himself going for 130 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, most of which came down the stretch to set Iowa up for the game-winning score, along with a QB keeper to ice the game.

Iowa fans, you wanted a quarterback who can win you a game late with the ball in his hands. Mark Gronowski just proved to you he is that guy.

The Iowa defense is playing at an elite level

The Iowa defense gave up 10 of its own points in this game. Of Penn State's 24 points, seven were due to a dropped pass resulting in an interception that set up a short field and a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown. This unit did the heavy lifting against Penn State.

Phil Parker dials up the HEAT on 4th down! The Iowa Hawkeyes’ defense makes their biggest play of the night!!! pic.twitter.com/1Eyrhubmqi— Hawkeyes Wire (@HawkeyesWire) October 19, 2025

Iowa had Ethan Grunkemeyer in a torture chamber with pressure and coverage all night long. He was only able to go 15-28 for 93 yards, while tossing two picks to Iowa. On the ground, Iowa gave a little ground to Kaytron Allen, who had 28 carries for 145 yards, but held Penn State to 3.8 yards as a team on the evening.

What is most impressive about this team is the timeliness of the big plays. Penn State's final three drives saw a turnover on downs, a field goal, and another turnover on downs. This is answering the big moment, and Iowa owned it.

Special teams and coaching almost gave this game away

Whew, boy, did this almost go horribly south in a hurry. Thankfully, Iowa responded to the adversity and won the game to drown out the noise of these issues a little bit, but they are nonetheless issues.

Late in the first half, Iowa tried a 66-yard field goal. Drew Stevens had a practice attempt as a timeout was called, and it came up well short. Iowa elected to still try and kick it, which resulted in the blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown as time expired in the first half.

Kirk Ferentz own the decision to try the kick before halftime and admits it was not a good decision.

Good coaching and leadership starts with ownership. pic.twitter.com/eY6azUlyLG— Hawkeyes Wire (@HawkeyesWire) October 19, 2025

The other issue Iowa is running into is some serious inconsistency from Drew Stevens in the kicking game. Kudos are deserved for the two kicks he hit down the stretch to bring Iowa back into this game, but the first quarter saw another missed field goal attempt. Stevens is now 14-19 on the year, his lowest field goal percentage since 2023.

Xavier Nwankpa played his best game as a Hawkeye

This is the Xavier Nwankpa fans have wanted to see, and the version of Xavier Nwankpa that he knew he could be. This was a special performance from Iowa's safety and completely changed the complexion of this game.

Nwankpa was second on the Hawkeyes with 10 tackles in this game, further displaying his willingness to be extremely physical. He forced a fumble as well as reeled in an interception late in the first half that set Iowa up for an easy touchdown.

Xavier Nwankpa flips the entire first half on its head for the Iowa Hawkeyes with the interception!!! pic.twitter.com/7Q0EywyRM0— Hawkeyes Wire (@HawkeyesWire) October 19, 2025

This was Xavier Nwankpa's coming-out party, and this showing should give the veteran safety some incredible confidence moving forward this season.

Don't forget about Rhys Dakin

It isn't talked about enough, but Rhys Dakin has been so steady for the Iowa Hawkeyes in the punting game this year. He did it again last night in the two punts he was called upon for.

Dakin averaged a massive, field-flipping 57.5 yards on his two punts last night, with a long of 61 yards. The first punt of the night pinned Penn State at their own 10-yard line, which saw that drive end in a Deshaun Lee interception. The second punt of the night, the 61-yard boot, also led to the Xavier Nwankpa interception, which put Iowa up 10-7.

These are small moments in a game that add up and, in a one-point victory, are often the difference between winning and losing.

This is who Iowa is: Resilient

Time and time again, the Iowa Hawkeyes are counted out or left for dead. And every single time, Kirk Ferentz rallies his team to find a way to win a ball game, doing whatever it takes.

Wow. Just wow. This was something from the #Hawkeyes.

Iowa needed to go score-stop-score & did so EMPHATICALLY.

Mark Gronowski has more moxie & guts than any stat or analysis can measure. Dude is nails in crunch time.

Defense clutched up. Kamari Moulton was legit.

5-2, baby! pic.twitter.com/ZZITilTEPB— Riley Donald (@rileydonald7) October 19, 2025

This game saw Iowa fall behind 21-10 in the third quarter and not blink. This was a huge moment of growth for this team. Iowa rallied and knew they had to score, get a stop, and score again to win this game. The Hawkeyes did so emphatically and put out a statement that they will fight back.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa Football: Takeaways from Hawkeyes' resilient win over Penn State