The Iowa Football team travels to Minnesota on Friday to take on the Gophers. An early look at the matchup.
Iowa Football is set to play under the lights on Friday night in Minneapolis. The Hawkeyes (1-2) will take on the Minnesota Gophers (1-2) on Nov. 13 at TCF Bank Stadium in a battle for the Floyd of Rosedale. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. (CT).
The Iowa-Minnesota rivalry goes back to 1891, but the Floyd of Rosedale trophy – a bronze pig given to the winner – wasn’t introduced until 1935. Fun fact: There was an actual, living pig up for grabs in the first Floyd of Rosedale game. Minnesota won 13-6.
Minnesota leads the all-time series (62-49-2), but the trophy series is much closer (42-41-2). Iowa can tie the trophy series with a win on Friday.
The Hawkeyes have won the past five matchups against the Gophers. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck has never defeated Iowa. In fact, the Hawkeyes are the only Big Ten West team Fleck has never beaten. Coach Kirk Ferentz has a 15-6 record against Minnesota during his time at Iowa.
The Hawkeyes are fresh off a huge blowout victory over Michigan State for their first win of the season. Iowa won 49-7 on the heels of three takeaways and a special teams touchdown. The Hawkeyes finally got the run game going, as running back Tyler Goodson racked up 113 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
On the flip side, Minnesota is coming off a blowout win of their own. The Gophers claimed their first victory of the season in a 41-14 win over Illinois last Friday night. Running back Mohamed Ibrahim rushed 30 times for 224 yards and four touchdowns and was the main catalyst for Minnesota’s offensive success.
The Hawkeyes are currently a three-point favorite for Friday night’s matchup, according to Odds Shark. The over/under for total points scored is set at 55.5. Friday night should provide an excellent opportunity for Iowa to state their case as a potential Top 25 team going forward.