The Gophers come out of their bye week with plenty to sort out, and the biggest item on the list is obvious: they have to get the run game moving if they want any shot at slowing Iowa and taking back Floyd of Rosedale on Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium.
This is Homecoming, but the trophy means a lot more than the setting. Minnesota is trying to bounce back from a 41-13 loss at Purdue and rediscover the version of itself that beat Washington and Michigan to open Big Ten play.
The challenge is a familiar one, and a stubborn one. Iowa has taken eight of the last nine against P.J.
Fleck, and the Hawkeyes have outscored Minnesota 72-17 over the past two seasons. The Gophers’ lone win in that stretch came in 2023, a 12-10 result in Iowa City that people still remember for Cooper DeJean’s invalid fair catch signal.
The numbers from the Purdue loss only sharpened the concern. Minnesota gave up 464 total yards, including 195 on the ground to former Gophers running back Fame Ijeboi.
Pro Football Focus charged Minnesota with 19 missed tackles, and 15 of them were forced by Ijeboi. That’s not the kind of performance you want walking into a matchup with Iowa, which brings a punishing front and a strong offensive line led by guards Leighton Jones and Kade Pieper.
Running back Kamari Moulton is also coming off a 208-yard rushing game at Washington.
Minnesota’s own rushing attack has been uneven. The Gophers ran for 125 yards against Washington and 126 against Michigan, then managed just 27 yards on 13 carries at Purdue after the game got away early.
Senior running back Darius Taylor has had a rough stretch since an early-season injury, averaging 1.9 yards per carry over his last three games. He still matters in the passing game, but TJ Thomas and Xavier Ford could get more work if Minnesota wants a different look on the ground.
There’s still a lot in play beyond Saturday. The Gophers already own two of the four trophies they compete for, thanks to a 20-14 win over Michigan and last year’s 17-7 victory at Wisconsin. Floyd of Rosedale is one they can add now, with the Governor’s Victory Bell at Penn State on Nov. 14 still ahead and the regular-season finale at Wisconsin on Nov. 27 waiting after that.
The schedule doesn’t ease up, either. Iowa is one of four AP Top 25 teams left on Minnesota’s slate, joined by No.
6 Indiana, No. 9 UCLA and No.
24 Northwestern. The Gophers still need two more wins to reach bowl eligibility, and their final six opponents are a combined 29-9.
Penn State, at 3-4, is the only team in that group with a losing record.
FanDuel lists Minnesota as a 5½-point underdog, with the over/under set at 40½ points.
The game is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday on FS1.
Radio coverage will be on KFXN-FM (100.3), with Mike Grimm on play-by-play, Darrell Thompson as analyst and Justin Gaard reporting from the sideline. Pregame coverage starts at 12:30 p.m.
In Other News...
Minnesota Gets A New Iowa Problem In Rivalry Week
Rivalry week in the Big Ten has a way of turning even the smallest quarterback decision into a storyline, and this one comes with a fresh layer for Minnesota. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz spent part of the buildup to the matchup confirming that his offense will have a new face under center, while both staffs framed the game in familiar terms: toughness, consistency and the kind of November football that usually comes down to which side handles the moment better.
For the Gophers, the assignment is now a little less predictable, even if the broader challenge remains the same. Iowas quarterback plan still leaves room for movement once the game starts, which adds another wrinkle to a rivalry that rarely lacks for them, and Minnesota will have to sort through that uncertainty while leaning on the identity it has built heading into the Big Ten clash. [Read more 🡒]
Minnesota-Iowa Suddenly Carries Bigger Stakes Than Just Floyd Of Rosedale
The Floyd of Rosedale has always given Minnesota-Iowa week an edge, but this year the conversation around the rivalry has widened beyond the bronze pig. Iowa enters with a grind-it-out identity that still defines most of what it does well, yet there is a real sense that the Hawkeyes have found a little more life through the air and more balance than they usually bring into this matchup. For Minnesota, that means the usual rivalry tension comes with an added layer: this is not just about pride in a trophy game, but about measuring how much damage a dangerous opponent can do while the larger stakes of the season hang in the background.
The remaining schedule is not forgiving, which is why this one feels bigger than a typical October border battle. If Iowa can keep stacking wins and stay in the hunt for the College Football Playoff conversation, the Minnesota game becomes part of a much larger argument about whether this team is built for something more than surviving in the Big Ten grind. For the Gophers, that makes the task more complicated than simply protecting home-field emotion against a rival they know well, in a series where the margin has so often been razor thin. [Read more 🡒]
Minnesota Faces A Big Floyd Of Rosedale Test Against Iowa
The annual Floyd of Rosedale game arrives with the usual edge for Minnesota, and this one carries a little more weight with both teams off to solid starts. The Gophers will bring a 4-2 record into a home date against Iowa, with Big Ten positioning on the line and the rivalry trophy once again hanging in the balance.
Saturdays matchup at Huntington Bank Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 1, and it also brings another familiar subplot for P.J. Fleck. Minnesotas coach has spent most of this series trying to close the gap on Kirk Ferentz, and the Gophers know how much this game has meant in recent seasons, especially after finally breaking through in 2023. [Read more 🡒]