Hawkeyes pounce Gophers to secure the pig and stay in the thick of the Big Ten race

For the tenth time in the past 11 years, Iowa knocked off Minnesota and this time it wasn't close. The Hawkeyes dominated all three facets of the game and rolled to a 41-3 win, putting them at 6-2 for the season and 4-1 in the conference. 

​Iowa stormed out to a 31-0 halftime lead and basically put it on cruise control in the second half. The Hawkeyes scored on their first two possessions. Mark Gronowski capped off the opening drive of the game with a short touchdown run to give Iowa a 7-0 lead. After holding the Gophers to a thee-and-out, the Hawkeyes got a 34-yard field goal from Drew Stevens to extend the lead to 10-0.

And then the defense got into the action with a pick six from Zach Lutmer after he stepped in front of an errant pass from Drake Lindsey and took it the other way for a 34-yard touchdown. Look at the fight from Lutmer not to be denied.

Special teams do special things

t was more of the same in the second quarter for both teams. Minnesota couldn't get an inch against Iowa's stingy defense and the Hawkeyes continued to put points on the board. The Iowa lead was extended to 24-0 after Gronowski went up top to connect with Reece Vander Zee for a 29-yard touchdown.

​Iowa went to the special teams to put a cherry on top of a dominating half against the Gophers when Kaden Wetjen grabbed a punt at midfield and took it to the house for a 31-0 lead just minutes into the second quarter.

That was going to be more than enough to secure the pig for another year. The game slowed down considerably after that, but the Hawkeyes' defense continued leaning on Minnesota until the Gophers had no fight left. 

Where does Iowa sit in the Big Ten race?

The Hawkeyes have a 4-1 conference record, behind undefeated Ohio State and Indiana. In two weeks, Iowa will host Oregon in a crucial game that will likely all but eliminate the team that loses. Iowa has already lost to Indiana this season and would need the Hoosiers to stumble twice to move ahead of them in the standings.