IOWA CITY, Iowa — Xavier Williams rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown, and Kirk Ferentz moved into a tie as the Big Ten’s all-time winningest coach as Iowa defeated Albany 34-7 on Saturday night.

Ferentz, in his 27th season as coach of the Hawkeyes, won his 205th game with the program, tying Ohio State’s Woody Hayes on the conference’s all-time list.

Quarterback Mark Gronowski, making his first start with the Hawkeyes after transferring from South Dakota State, threw for just 44 yards, but threw for a touchdown and ran for another before leaving the game with apparent cramping issues in the third quarter.

Williams took over for injured starter Kamari Moulton in the first half.

Albany took a 7-3 lead in the second quarter when Jack Shields threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Lasalle Rose Jr. But the Hawkeyes quickly responded, driving 65 yards on seven plays on their next possession, finishing the drive with Williams’ 3-yard touchdown run.

Gronowski threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kaden Wetjen on Iowa’s next drive to put the Hawkeyes up 17-7 at halftime.

Gronowski had a 1-yard touchdown run in the third to give the Hawkeyes a 24-7 lead. Drew Stevens had a career-long 55-yard field goal in the fourth, then backup quarterback Hank Brown scored on a 1-yard run for the final margin.

Ferentz, the longest tenured active head coach in college football, is 205-124 all-time at Iowa, and has a 217-145 career record.

Saturday’s win was the 23rd in a season opener for Ferentz at Iowa.

Gronowski, who won two FCS national championships at South Dakota State, came to the Hawkeyes to revive a passing game that was one of the nation’s worst the last two seasons.

Gronowski, who underwent shoulder surgery in the winter after coming to Iowa, started slowly, completing just two of his first eight passes. He finished the game 8-of-15 passing and had 11 carries for 39 yards.

Albany: At Delaware State next Saturday.

Iowa: At No. 22 Iowa State next Saturday.

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BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado coach Deion Sanders disclosed Monday that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer but after surgery his oncologist considered him cured.

Dr. Janet Kukreja, the director of urologic oncology at the CU Cancer Center/UCHealth University of Colorado hospital, said Sanders had his bladder removed as part of the surgical plan.

Sanders plans to oversee the Buffaloes this season as he enters his third season at Colorado.

Sanders, who turns 58 next month, spoke to the media on the eve of fall camp. He brought his medical team with him to discuss his diagnosis.

The charismatic coach returned to campus last week and announced on social media, “Back and Feeling Great!” He’s missed football camps in Boulder this summer amid reports that he’s been ill.

On Sunday, the production crew of “Well Off Media,” which chronicles Sanders and the Buffaloes, posted a video on YouTube of the coach’s first meeting with the team. In the middle of the clip, there was a scene, dated May 9, where Sanders said: “I don’t know if I’m ready mentally, emotionally. Last night was tough, yesterday was tough, because I had to make a will. That’s not easy at all, to think that you may not be here.”

Sanders has dealt with issues surrounding his left foot since having two toes amputated in 2021 because of blood clot issues while he was coaching at Jackson State. He missed media day in 2023, his inaugural year at Colorado, after a procedure to remove a blood clot from his right leg and another to straighten toes on his left foot.

In March, Sanders signed a contract extension through the 2029 season.

The Buffaloes kick off the season on Aug. 29 against Georgia Tech at Folsom Field. It will be the first season in quite some time that he hasn’t coached one of his sons. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was drafted by the Cleveland Browns while Shilo, a safety, is in camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes went 4-8 in his first season and 9-4 last season, with an appearance in the Alamo Bowl. They have big shoes to fill in replacing Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football