Iowa Football: Instant takeaways from 35-7 win over Minnesota

Iowa Football traveled to Minneapolis for a Friday night showdown against the Minnesota Gophers. Instant analysis from the Hawkeyes’ 35-7 win.

The Floyd of Rosedale will stay with the Iowa Hawkeyes for a sixth straight year. In a dominant display from Kirk Ferentz’s squad, Iowa defeated Minnesota by a final score of 35-7. At no point did the Gophers appear to have control.

Iowa Football moves to 2-2 after starting the season with two straight losses. After Friday night’s victory, Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck remained winless against the Hawkeyes. Kirk Ferentz moved to 16-6 all-time against the Gophers.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Iowa’s dominant win:

• This Iowa defense is legit. The Hawkeyes finished with two interceptions, meaning the defense has at least two takeaways in every game this season.
• Tyler Goodson is a superstar. Goodson finished with 142 rush yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries and was the biggest reason for Iowa’s offensive success. His 142 yards was a career-high. Goodson now has 375 rush yards and five touchdowns in four games. He had five touchdowns all of last season.
• Spencer Petras isn’t a Big Ten starting-caliber quarterback. At no point in Iowa’s first four games has Petras looked like he belonged. He finished 9-of-18 for 111 yards, with one touchdown and one interception against Minnesota. Petras doesn’t have the touch or accuracy to consistently deliver the ball on any given play.
• The Hawkeye offense is going to need to rely on the running game the rest of the season. Iowa’s leading receiver, Tyrone Tracy, finished with 36 yards. No Iowa player has eclipsed 100 receiving yards this season.
• Minnesota came into Friday night’s matchup allowing 238 rushing yards per game. Iowa delivered with 237 rushing yards on 34 carries. Goodson had over 20 carries for just the second time in his career. If the Hawkeyes are going to have success on offense, it’s going to come by running the ball.
• Jack Koerner is a ball player. The Iowa safety grabbed his third interception in as many games. He also blocked a field goal. He’s quickly becoming one of Iowa’s best defensive players.
• Zach VanValkenburg has filled in admirably in the absence of the recently departed A.J. Epenesa. VanValkenburg finished with three sacks against Minnesota, more than any Iowa player had in the team’s first three games combined.

The Hawkeyes now have an extra day to prepare for Penn State next Saturday, Nov. 21. The Nittany Lions are 0-3 for the first time since 2001 and play Nebraska on Saturday. Iowa is still holding onto a slim hope of winning the Big Ten West.