Minnesota vs. Iowa: The Elite, The Meh & The Ugly

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-2) re-claimed the Floyd of Rosedale with a 13-10 upset of the No. 15-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes (5-2) on Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium.

The Elite

The Floyd of Rosedale is home. I love bacon.

Luke Drzewiecki. The former New Mexico kicker has been a perfect 10-for-10 on field goal attempts this season and added two more to his name, including a game-winning 46-yarder as time expired. Special shoutout to Judge William Jorden, whose preliminary injunction in the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, back in September cleared the way for Drzewiecki to make that game-winning field goal.

A 39-yard pass. It was not a banner day for quarterback Drake Lindsey and the Minnesota offense, and they had only converted one third down all game when the Gophers faced 3rd & 4 at their own 33-yard line with less than a minute left on the clock. Lindsey dropped back to pass, rolled right after escaping pressure, and found Jalen Smith down the field for a 39-yard connection to flip the field and spark the game-winning drive.

The Gopher defense. The Purdue game was an unmitigated disaster, but defensive coordinator Danny Collins and co. seem to have made the most of the bye week, regrouping to deliver a gem of a performance on Saturday. The key to the game was stopping the run and the Gophers were stout up front and tackled well, limiting the Hawkeyes to 90 rushing yards. They put Iowa starting quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski in a blender, so much so that head coach Kirk Ferentz eventually turned the reins over to back-up signal caller Hank Brown. Outside of a near-fatal four-play, 98-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, the Minnesota defense held the Hawkeyes to 190 yards of total offense and a field goal, in addition to forcing four turnovers.

All the turnovers. The Gophers weren’t able to convert any of their four turnovers into points, but each of them helped keep points for Iowa off the scoreboard. The Hawkeyes were poised to take a 7-3 lead when Joey Gerlach made a diving interception near the goal line in the first quarter. A second quarter drive that started in Minnesota territory was thwarted when T.J. Bush made an incredible interception at the line of scrimmage, preserving a tie ballgame before halftime. In the fourth quarter, another drive that started in Minnesota territory was halted when Aidan Gousby forced the ball loose from running back Braeden Jackson and Maverick Baranowski was there with a heads-up play to snatch the ball away for a fumble recovery. Finally, Matt Kingsbury intercepted a tipped pass in the fourth quarter stifle yet another Iowa drive.

The blocked punt. After the defense forced Iowa to go three-and-out on their opening drive, Daniel Da Prato’s special teams unit finished it off with a blocked punt courtesy of Mason Carrier, giving the offense a short field and the opportunity to take a 3-0 lead. Head coach P.J. Fleck said the team practiced that punt block all week, with Da Prato serving as the punter. “He took a lot of shots off that right foot,” Fleck said.

Three wins over Top 25 opponents. The Gophers have now notched victories over three ranked opponents this year. Washington was ranked No. 23 in the Coaches Poll at the time of Minnesota’s 27-24 road win over the Huskies, and Michigan was ranked No. 24 in the Coaches Poll at the time of their loss to the Gophers.

The atmosphere at Huntington Bank Stadium. It was a sellout crowd, and coming off a deflating loss to Purdue, you would have been forgiven for assuming there would be a significant contingent of Hawkeye fans. But according to those who were in attendance Saturday, there couldn’t have been more than 5,000 of them among the announced crowd of 53,004. The Gopher fans were loud and proud, making their presence known throughout the game, especially on a key Iowa drive in the second quarter. An interception and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty had set up the Hawkeyes at the Minnesota 11-yard line, and two false start penalties by the Iowa offensive line helped the Gopher defense hold the Hawkeyes to a field goal.

This rivalry game means a lot to me. Who hates Iowa? I hate Iowa. I was born and raised in the Hawkeye state, and many of my friends and family are Hawkeye fans. I can assure you they’ve never been shy about rubbing it in my face when Iowa has beaten Minnesota, and the P.J. Fleck era has been particularly painful for me considering his 1-8 record against Kirk Ferentz (prior to Saturday, of course). This is the most important game of the season for me, personally, and I couldn’t be happier to see the Gophers win!

The Meh

Xavier Ford. He only picked up 33 rushing yards on eight carries — hence the “Meh” — but the second-year running back showed flashes of his ability to plant, cut, and go, and run through tackles. The running back room has largely been a disappointment this year, so I will take positive signs where I can find them.

The Ugly

The Minnesota offense. The Greg Harbaugh Jr. experience can’t end soon enough. For the second straight game and the third time this season, the Gophers were held to 13 total points. The defense forced four turnovers and the offense wasn’t even able to pick up a first down on any of the four possessions that followed. Minnesota had ample opportunity to take control of this game but allowed Iowa to hang around because of the offense’s inability to consistently move the ball on the ground or through the air. We’re seven games into this season and this offense has no discernible identity. The ground game remains largely stuck in the mud, and the passing game has been out of sync for weeks now. A midseason firing is unlikely, but a change is needed at some point.

Drake Lindsey. I’m officially concerned about the Gophers’ second-year starting quarterback.

Lindsey through the first four games: 88-of-132 (66.6%), 237.8 YPG, 7 TDs, 2 INTs

Lindsey through the last three games: 53-of-90 (58.8%), 173.6 YPG, 2 TDs, 4 INTs

Not much is working for Minnesota on the offensive side of the ball at the moment, so I don’t mean to pick on Lindsey. He doesn’t have a reliable running game, and his offensive line is banged up. But what concerns me is Lindsey’s lack of confidence in the pocket. He seems sped up at times and that has led to bad habits in his mechanics and poor decision-making under pressure. I don’t see substantial improvement in the ground game happening this season, so the Gophers really need Lindsey to get right — and soon.