IOWA CITY — The bye week came at the right time for the Iowa football program as it faces injuries on both sides of the ball.

Coming out of the open date, the Hawkeyes expect to get running back Xavier Williams and wide receiver Reece Vander Zee back in addition to positive news on quarterback Mark Gronowski.

“Positive side, looks like (Reece) Vander Zee is going to have a chance to get back if he can make it through the week,” Ferentz said. “The same thing with Xavier Williams. Looks like he's healthy after two days. We'll see what this looks like.”

Williams missed each of the previous two games after suffering an injury during Iowa’s win over UMass.

Vander Zee missed the first five games of the season after sustaining a foot injury the week prior to the 2025 season opener. Due to th

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