GAMEDAY REPLAY: Iowa 35, Minnesota 7
Iowa football may have found something in last week's romp over Michigan State.
Spencer Petras found his first win under center as the Hawkeyes' quarterback. Kirk Ferentz's bunch found its way to a first second-half touchdown in a Big Ten Conference game in (gulp) six tries.
What will Iowa find in its next rivalry clash with Minnesota? The Hawkeyes have taken five straight over the Golden Gophers in the battle for Floyd of Rosedale. This time, the Big Ten West game occurs on a Friday — a Friday the 13th, no less.
Chad Leistikow and Mark Emmert are on-site at TCF Bank Stadium for the 6 p.m. kickoff. Danny Lawhon of the Register's staff will watch the Fox Sports 1 broadcast along with you and add his thoughts from the telecast.
Enjoy the game!
How it unfolded
9:15 p.m.: Well, that last "minute" was something. Kirk Ferentz used all three of the timeouts consecutively with less than 20 seconds remaining and the Gophers inside the 5-yard line. Making a point to P.J. Fleck, perhaps, or giving the defense a rest to try and preserve a shutout? I have no idea. Either way, Minnesota scored on second and goal, and this one is mercifully put to bed. Iowa wins the game 35-7 and is now 2-2. Minnesota is 1-3. If we survive the land mines of COVID-19 cases, Iowa will travel to Penn State on Nov. 21. That's six in a row for the Hawkeyes over Minnesota, their longest win streak in this rivalry. -- DL
8:55 p.m.: Alex Padilla came in at quarterback. But it was still all the ground game. Mekhi Sargent has 51 rushing yards on Iowa's most recent drive, including a 14-yard joy ride to the end zone. It's now 35-0, and this one is the laugher it should have been based on the first 30 minutes. A mere 6:37 to play. -- DL
8:43 p.m.: On second and goal, a 1-yard plunge from Tyler Goodson gives Iowa a four-score lead. Goodson scores on a two-point conversion sideways lateral. It's 28-0. And it's over. -- DL
8:40 p.m.: Minnesota moved the ball into Iowa territory again, but Tanner Morgan through a duck to Riley Moss, who has another notable interception against Minnesota. He returned it nearly 60 yards into Gophers territory, and a deep pass to Shaun Beyer later has Iowa inside the 10. That really should do it. -- DL
8:31 p.m.: A 7-yard touchdown pass from Spencer Petras to Ihmir Smith-Marsette puts Iowa up 20-0 early in the fourth quarter and should put this game on ice, the way Minnesota's offense looks. A bad snap on the extra point creates a second kicking-game error tonight, though. A spiffy, 79-yard drive in five plays. -- DL
8:27 p.m.: "Our breathtaking, RIVETING score by quarter tonight ..." -- Aaron Goldsmith is not impressed by this game. And, really, if you're someone without a rooting interest, you probably aren't, either. (Iowa's in the red zone with a chance to ice it.) -- DL
8:24 p.m.: Iowa hands the ball to Tyler Goodson for 45 yards and WHY HAVEN'T YOU BEEN DOING THAT THE WHOLE GAME? --CL
8:23 p.m.: Well, we're at the same place where we started the third quarter. That's not good news if you're a fan of entertaining football ... but if you're a Hawkeyes fan, you're 15 minutes closer (and thus 15 more minutes away) from a second consecutive win. In all, a success? I suppose, especially after the longest play from scrimmage by either team, a 45-yard scamper from Goodson. Iowa enters the fourth quarter with a prime chance to put this one away. -- DL
8:17 p.m.: P.J. Fleck has decided that he can ball-control the Hawkeyes to death in the second half and try to win a close game, with the way Iowa's pass game has struggled. The third quarter is nearly over and Iowa has run 3 plays from scrimmage for 2 yards. --CL
8:06 p.m.: Minnesota's offense is beginning to wake up, and those late-half shortcomings are feeling even more costly. I honestly think it's time to think about a quarterback change, but I also think there's about a 1% chance that would happen via coach's decision. I saw Iowa win here 14-7 in 2016, so winning ugly up here is not unprecedented. --CL
7:34 p.m.: Let's take a break from Petras frustrations to give a hat tip to Phil Parker's defense, which just shut out a team through 30 minutes averaging 36.6 ppg. Hawkeyes have not let Ibrahim get too much going (11 carries, 44 yards) and Tanner Morgan doesn't look comfortable (6-of-17, 57 yards, INT). Iowa leads 14-0 at the break but will need to score some second-half points today, I believe. --CL
7:27 p.m.: Twice, Iowa gets deep into Minnesota territory and gets zero points. That could come back to haunt. Petras looks bad. --CL
7:16 p.m.: Really disappointing set of circumstances there, with Smith-Marsette losing 6 yards on a jet sweep then a dropped pass from Sam LaPorta. A chance to take a 17-0 or 21-0 lead at halftime, and now Minnesota gets it back and could close to 14-7 before the break. These are the small things that can be costly. 2:25 left in the first half, Minnesota starting at its own 11. -- CL
7:11 p.m.: Minnesota had six penalties for 60 yards in the first 22 minutes of game action following a special-teams infraction on that latest kickoff return. Hawkeyes making Gophers look bad ... and the Gophers are making the Gophers look bad. -- DL
7:04 p.m.: As I tweeted, that was (believed to be) the first Wildcat touchdown run of the 22-year Kirk Ferentz era. Goodson from 7 yards out, and he has 79 yards on 12 carries. Look for those totals to keep growing. Justin Britt was at right guard that entire drive. --CL
6:53 p.m.: Tyler Goodson amassed 50 yards on his first eight carries tonight (a 6.25-yard average). It continues to be a long season at the line of scrimmage for the Golden Gophers' defense. -- DL
6:45 p.m.: Iowa leads 7-0 after one quarter of play but it feels tenuous. After the INT, Minnesota has committed 35 yards of penalties but still has a first down to start the second at Iowa's 44. Weird sequence. Feels like Iowa's run game can't be stopped but only seven points on three drives is disappointing. --CL
6:39 p.m.: Spencer Petras throws a perfect pass to Minnesota's James Gordon. Just a crucial, bad error by the young QB after Iowa defense gets a big stop and Goodson reels off 7 on first down. That's his first first-half interception of the year. --CL
6:34 p.m.: Iowa's defensive front is really making Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim work. Ibrahim averages 190 rushing yards per game, but has just 23 on seven carries so far, a 3.3-yard average. His longest gain has been six yards. That is keeping the Gophers from having short-yardage situations on third downs. They've converted only one. — Mark Emmert
6:22 p.m.: Well, there was the overpowering ground game from Iowa that we kind of expected. A heavy dose of Tyler Goodson (16-yard run, 12-yard catch) and Tyrone Tracy Jr. (two grabs for 19 yards), and Nico Ragaini finishes off the drive with a sweet 1-yard play call on a jet sweep. That looked easy. Iowa looks like it's trying to make Tyler Goodson the focal point tonight, instead of Minnesota's Mo Ibrahim. --CL
6:19 p.m.: My thoughts on the first half of the first quarter: Tory Taylor continues to be a revelation, and I don't know why you would ever pass the ball against the Minnesota defense when you can run for miles. (That's an exaggeration, but only just.) -- DL
6:12 p.m.: On third-and-5 from its own 10, Minnesota finds Rashod Bateman covered by Nick Niemann and it's an easy first down. I know that's Iowa's defense, not to match up, but that's not the matchup you want. --CL
6:08 p.m.: As Spencer Petras' first pass is completed on a quick drop, analyst and former Notre Dame star quarterback Brady Quinn was very excited about an old-school approach. "The emails that Brady was sending to the crew this week ... I've never seen someone more excited about a three-step drop than Brady Quinn," play-by-play broadcaster Aaron Goldsmith quipped. — Danny Lawhon
5:55 p.m.: Good evening, Hawkeye fans! It's cold at TCF Bank Stadium but the wind does not appear to be much of a factor. Iowa QBs were a little "off" I'll say in warmups, but I expect a heavy dose of the ground game tonight against a Gophers' D that has been porous against the run. Iowa DE John Waggoner is out, as is Minnesota DB Benjamin St.-Juste. — Chad Leistikow
