NCAAF

Iowa Hawkeyes at Vanderbilt Commodores

· ReliaQuest Bowl
9-4, 3-2 Away
Final
34 - 27
10-3, 7-0 Home

Iowa holds off Vanderbilt's comeback bid for 34-27 victory in the ReliaQuest Bowl

Vanderbilt's punting gaffe sets up Reece Vander Zee's sweet TD grab

Gronowski was 16 of 22 passing for 212 yards, throwing touchdowns passes of 10 and 21 yards to Reece Vander Zee and DJ Vonnahme, respectively, as Iowa got out to a 21-3 lead early in the third quarter.

Vanderbilt (10-3) rallied behind Diego Pavia. The Heisman Trophy runner-up threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Tre Richardson and a 16-yarder to Joseph McVay to pull the Commodores within 24-17.

The teams traded scores early in the fourth quarter, with Gronowski making it 31-17 with a 1-yard keeper and Pavia answering with an 11-yard TD run.

Iowa (9-4) pushed the lead back to double digits with a 44-yard field goal from Drew Stevens to cap off a 13-play, 49-yard drive that took more than seven minutes. Vanderbilt answered with a 37-yard field goal from Brock Taylor to make it 34-27, but Iowa was able to close out the game with Xavier Williams running for 11 yards on a third-and-1 with 1:55 remaining and the Commodores out of timeouts.

Pavia finished with 347 passing yards. Richardson caught six passes for 127 yards and Junior Sherrill had eight catches for 123 yards for Vanderbilt.

Vonnahme led the Hawkeyes with seven catches for 146 yards and Kamari Moulton rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown. Gronowski had 54 rushing yards.

The takeaway Iowa: The Hawkeyes are 4-3 in the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly known as the Outback Bowl) in seven trips under coach Kirk Ferentz. It's the 11th time Iowa has won nine or more games in a season under Ferentz.

Vanderbilt: Despite the loss, the Commodores set a school record with 10 wins and signed coach Clark Lea to a six-year contract extension in November.

Up next Iowa: Hosts Northern Illinois on Sept. 5.

TCU: Hosts Austin Peay on. Sept. 5

How To Watch

How can I watch Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Vanderbilt Commodores?
  • TV Channel: Hawkeyes at Commodores 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPN.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Scoring Summary

IOWA TD 1st Period 12:55 Kamari Moulton 4 Yd Run (Drew Stevens Kick)
VAN FG 2nd Period 7:49 Brock Taylor 41 Yd Field Goal
IOWA TD 2nd Period 0:41 Reece Vander Zee 10 Yd pass from Mark Gronowski (Drew Stevens Kick)
IOWA TD 3rd Period 8:50 DJ Vonnahme 21 Yd pass from Mark Gronowski (Drew Stevens Kick)
VAN TD 3rd Period 8:37 Tre Richardson 75 Yd pass from Diego Pavia (Brock Taylor Kick)
IOWA FG 3rd Period 3:54 Drew Stevens 47 Yd Field Goal
VAN TD 3rd Period 1:41 Joseph McVay 16 Yd pass from Diego Pavia (Brock Taylor Kick)
IOWA TD 4th Period 13:35 Mark Gronowski 1 Yd Run (Drew Stevens Kick)
VAN TD 4th Period 11:19 Diego Pavia 11 Yd Run (Brock Taylor Kick)
IOWA FG 4th Period 4:13 Drew Stevens 44 Yd Field Goal
VAN FG 4th Period 2:58 Brock Taylor 37 Yd Field Goal

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2294.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originIOWA https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/238.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originVAN
19 1st Downs 21
6-12 3rd down efficiency 2-9
0-0 4th down efficiency 0-1
379 Total Yards 398
212 Passing 347
16/22 Comp/Att 25/38
9.6 Yards per pass 9.1
167 Rushing 51
37 Rushing Attempts 22
4.5 Yards per rush 2.3
5-53 Penalties 10-53
1 Turnovers 0
0 Fumbles lost 0
1 Interceptions thrown 0
32:18 Possession 27:42

Game Information

Raymond James Stadium

Location: Tampa, FL
Attendance: 35,382 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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