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Iowa football: Three takeaways from Iowa’s high scoring victory over Minnesota

By Andrew Wade

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 06: Julius Brents #20 of the Iowa Hawkeyes intercepts the ball against Tyler Johnson #6 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the fourth quarter of the game on October 6, 2018 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Iowa defeated Minnesota 48-31. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 06: Julius Brents #20 of the Iowa Hawkeyes intercepts the ball against Tyler Johnson #6 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the fourth quarter of the game on October 6, 2018 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Iowa defeated Minnesota 48-31. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 06: Julius Brents #20 of the Iowa Hawkeyes intercepts the ball against Tyler Johnson #6 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the fourth quarter of the game on October 6, 2018 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Iowa defeated Minnesota 48-31. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 06: Julius Brents #20 of the Iowa Hawkeyes intercepts the ball against Tyler Johnson #6 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the fourth quarter of the game on October 6, 2018 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Iowa defeated Minnesota 48-31. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

The Iowa football program scored a season-high 48 points in their victory over the Minnesota Gophers Saturday. Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s win.

The Iowa football team was clearly the better team throughout Saturday afternoon’s contest at TCF Bank Stadium, and while they did do enough to leave Minneapolis, Minnesota victorious, the game was a lot closer on the scoreboard than it should have been. The Hawkeyes started off strong, but each time they had a chance to pull away, they allowed the Gophers to stay right in the game. Despite some issues closing the game out, it was a generally well-played and well executed game throughout, especially considering the injuries the Iowa football team was dealing with on the defensive side of the ball.

As we alluded to in our three keys to victory, Iowa needed to score early, establish an offensive rhythm, and force turnovers in order to come away with a win. It’s easy to say they accomplished all three of these objectives after jumping out to a 14-0 lead, scoring at least ten points in each quarter, and finishing with four interceptions on the day.

The game also showcased a few trends or takeaways for that matter that are worth noting as they could have a big impact on whether this is one of those memorable Iowa seasons or another 8-4 record and an average bowl game. Here are my three takeaways from the victory over the Gophers.

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