I just watched every every offensive play again. Gronowski isn't nearly as bad as it seems. He wasn't perfect, but he's a huge step up from what we've seen the last few years IMO. The play calling didn't do him any favors. There were some drops. Some might say that he frequently held the ball too long, but ISU's coverage was pretty good for most of the game.
He missed a couple open receivers at crucial moments. One was 2nd qtr 9:57 3rd & 5 and where he missed Large wide open after Large pushed the LB on his back. Another one was the 3rd down on the last drive. I couldn't tell who it was (looked like #22 on the back of the jersey), but he ran the under route, was way more open than Large, and probably would've had the first down if MG throws it to him. The offensive line was terrible on the last drive which didn't help. ISU got home without blitzing on 1st & 2nd down and with only 3 down linemen on the 2nd down which is unacceptable.
I'm not giving up on MG yet. The defense is better than I thought they'd be. The season isn't over and this loss insignificant as far as the big picture goes. Unfortunately, I think ISU is the real deal this year and they were the better team today. I still think Iowa can have a great season though.