Following a disastrous loss against Iowa State, the Iowa football team responded with a 38-21 home win over Troy on Saturday, improving to 2-1 in the young season.
Now, Iowa turns its attention to its Big Ten opener on the road at Minnesota, who enters the contest with an identical 2-1 record after blasting Nevada, 27-0, last weekend. The Gophers have been a respectable Big Ten team under eighth-year head coach P.J. Fleck, but it suffered a disappointing 5-7 campaign in 2023, marking only their second losing season under Fleck.
The highlight of Minnesota’s 2023 season was undoubtedly its controversial victory over Iowa at Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 21, where Hawkeye defensive back Cooper DeJean was called for an illegal fair catch on a game-winning punt return touchdown with only seconds left, giving the Gophers the “Floyd of Rosedale” trophy for the first time since 2014.
Everyone in Iowa City has waited a whole year to get even, and now the time has come. Due to the hype surrounding this rivalry game, it will be televised in prime time at 6:30 p.m. local time on NBC.
In order to digest this matchup, a deeper look at Minnesota is due.
Offense
After a dismal offensive showing in 2023, starting quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis transferred to conference rival Rutgers for a fresh start, leaving a big hole for Minnesota to fill.
To fill this void, Fleck recruited New Hampshire quarterback Max Brosmer. He threw for over 3,400 yards and 29 touchdowns during his senior season with the Wildcats, albeit at the Football Championship Subdivision level.
Brosmer struggled in the season-opening loss against North Carolina but recaptured his confidence the following week during a 48-0 win over Rhode Island, tallying 271 yards and two touchdowns. It was a mixed result against Nevada as Brosmer tossed just one touchdown but also threw an interception.
While Minnesota may struggle throwing the football, they make up for it with a powerful rushing attack led by former Oklahoma running back Marcus Major. Through the course of three games, the fourth-year has racked up 85 yards and two touchdowns despite a small workload against Rhode Island.
Another name to watch out for in the Gopher backfield is second-year Darius Taylor, who racked up 124 yards on 11 rushing attempts in the Nevada game. Taylor is also a solid receiving back, catching five passes for 37 yards last weekend.
The receiving corps has produced a fairly balanced attack so far, with Daniel Jackson, Elijah Spencer, and Le’Meke Brockington each collecting over 50 yards receiving through three games.
Defense
The Gophers have been a solid defensive unit to begin the season, allowing only 6.3 points per game through three games, including shutouts against Rhode Island and Nevada. Additionally, Minnesota has collected seven sacks, seven interceptions, and 172 tackles.
The results have pleased new Defensive Coordinator Corey Hetherman, who came to Minnesota in the offseason after serving two seasons as linebackers coach for Rutgers. Hetherman brings what he calls “a super aggressive” style of defense that features heavy blitzing.
The Hawkeyes are known for their predictable style on offense, but the Gophers’ aggressive style of defense could potentially open up holes for star running back Kaleb Johnson.
Special teams
Minnesota’s special teams gained a big plus when reigning Big Ten Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year Dragan Kesich returned for his final season.
Despite his popularity, Kesich has failed to carry over the momentum in 2024, making only five of his nine field goal attempts. Kesich missed two field goals in the season-opener against North Carolina, including the game winner in the final seconds.
Mark Crawford is in his fifth season as the starting punter, averaging 44.7 yards on nine attempts.
Final analysis
This may be the most intriguing Floyd of Rosedale game in years, considering what took place just a season ago. These two teams clearly don’t like each other, and I expect a classic, hard-nosed Big Ten football game in Minneapolis.