Iowa Hawkeyes at Vanderbilt Commodores
· ReliaQuest BowlIowa holds off Vanderbilt's comeback bid for 34-27 victory in the ReliaQuest Bowl
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.
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.
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
![]() |
TD | 1st Period 12:55 | Kamari Moulton 4 Yd Run (Drew Stevens Kick) |
![]() |
FG | 2nd Period 7:49 | Brock Taylor 41 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
TD | 2nd Period 0:41 | Reece Vander Zee 10 Yd pass from Mark Gronowski (Drew Stevens Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 3rd Period 8:50 | DJ Vonnahme 21 Yd pass from Mark Gronowski (Drew Stevens Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 3rd Period 8:37 | Tre Richardson 75 Yd pass from Diego Pavia (Brock Taylor Kick) |
![]() |
FG | 3rd Period 3:54 | Drew Stevens 47 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
TD | 3rd Period 1:41 | Joseph McVay 16 Yd pass from Diego Pavia (Brock Taylor Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 4th Period 13:35 | Mark Gronowski 1 Yd Run (Drew Stevens Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 4th Period 11:19 | Diego Pavia 11 Yd Run (Brock Taylor Kick) |
![]() |
FG | 4th Period 4:13 | Drew Stevens 44 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
FG | 4th Period 2:58 | Brock Taylor 37 Yd Field Goal |
Statistics
IOWA |
VAN |
|
|---|---|---|
| 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
Location: Tampa, FL
Attendance: 35,382 · Capacity:
College Football News
Indiana LB Aidan Fisher explains what makes Coach Cignetti great
LB Aiden Fisher tells Pat McAfee why he loves playing for Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti.
Ranking the best players in the college football transfer portal
The transfer portal officially opened Jan. 2 and closed Jan. 16. We ranked the best of the best to enter.
Duke's Mensah can enter portal, can't sign until injunction ruling
Duke QB Darian Mensah is permitted to enter the transfer portal, but can't enroll at another school or play football for another college team before a North Carolina judge rules on Duke's request for an injunction that would prevent him from leaving.
Battle of the snubbed: Big 12 slate features Notre Dame-BYU tilt
The 2026 Big 12 Conference football schedule released Wednesday includes all 16 programs playing nine conference games apiece, with a collective 13 nonconference games against Power Four opponents and Notre Dame.
2026 NFL draft Big Board rankings: Mel Kiper's top prospects
Mel Kiper Jr. is stacking the top 25 players for the NFL draft, starting with Fernando Mendoza. See who follows him now that the college football season is over.




IOWA
VAN