No. 5 Iowa 40, Minnesota 35

IOWA CITY - It's raining bacon here. That's how good life is for the Hawkeyes. The skies have opened and everyone's favorite breakfast meat is pouring down and everyone's bellies are happy.

This metaphor is, of course, brought to you by Floyd of Rosedale. That was the No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes (10-0, 6-0 Big Ten) tangible reward for Saturday night's wild 40-35 victory over Minnesota (4-6, 1-5) before a sold-out crowd of 70,585 at Kinnick Stadium.

Running back LeShun Daniels got his first start since week 2 at Iowa State and poured everything into it, rushing 26 times for 195 yards and three TDs. Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard completed 18 of 26 for 213 yards and rushed for two TDs.

Minnesota running back Shannon Brooks scored a 3-yard TD to finish off a 45-second drive with 1:16 left in the game, but a drop kick onsides kick went out of bounds and Iowa could finally cuddle up in championship formation.

The Hawkeyes, 10-0 for the first time in school history, did the swarm over to Floyd. At the end, center Austin Blythe broke rank and was the first to the pig.

There will be a trophy in Kinnick Stadium next weekend when the Hawkeyes play host to Purdue (2-8, 1-5). Iowa narrowed its magic number for the Big Ten West Division title to one with Saturday night's victory. Iowa needs to beat Purdue or have Wisconsin lose to clinch its first bid in the Big Ten title game on Dec. 5 in Indianapolis.

Beat on that beat Purdue thing.

This was a game of few defensive stops and tons of opportunities for both offenses. Stops, simple stops, were at a premium. When one defense didn't get a stop, it opened the door for the opposing offense. Forget three-and-outs. In this game, eight-and-outs mattered.

The Hawkeyes opened the second-half scoring with a Marshall Koehn 38-yard field goal. It wasn't a stop for the Gophers, but it was only three when the Hawkeyes strolled through the first half with more sevens than anything.

Iowa held a 27-14 lead with 8:04 left in the third quarter.

Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner, who accounted for 291 yards of total offense, came to play and went right back to work, directing a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended on a 1-yard TD run by running back Rodrick Williams, pulling Minnesota within 27-21 with 1:05 left in the third.

In a game that was up-and-down offense, special teams were going to get in on the act eventually. You see this sentence and so you know that Desmond King returned the ensuing kick 58 yards to Minnesota's 37, setting up Beathard's 1-yard sneak for a 33-21 lead with 14:30 left in the game. Iowa tried for a two-point conversion, but Beathard was tackled by Okoboji native and Minnesota linebacker Cody Poock at the 1.

The first half turned out to be a shootout.

The Gophers hit three plays of 20-plus yards, including Leidner passes of 37 and 40 yards. The 37-yarder set up to wide receiver K.J. Maye set up Leidner's 2-yard TD run. Then, Leidner hit tight end Brandon Lingen for a 40-yard TD to tie the game 14-14 with 12:06 left in the half.

From there, Beathard strutted what looks to be new-found health. He directed an 11-play drive that was stubbed out on a coverage sack, but it did end up in a Marshall Koehn 47-yard field goal for a 17-14 Iowa lead with 7:47 left in the first half.

Iowa's defense, battered through the air and on the ground, finally got a stop, its first since the Gophers' first drive of the game. It was an eight-and-out, but it was a stop and that was enough to launch healthy, viable Beathard.

The drive started at Iowa's 3. Beathard kept it alive on a 9-yard completion to tight end George Kittle on a third-and-4. Then, on a first down at Iowa's 28, Beathard broke the pocket and made one of those plays you always hear called 'extended plays.” He scrambled toward the line of scrimmage and finally found tight end Henry Krieger Coble for a 32-yard gain to Minnesota's 40.

Next play, Beathard scrambled up the middle. He kind of drifted right and then darted left and 26 yards later Iowa had a first down at Minnesota's 14.

After a pass interference penalty set up Iowa at the 2, Daniels bashed in to give Iowa a 24-14 halftime lead.

The Hawkeyes piled up 19 first downs in the half and completed a pair of 90-plus yard TD drives, giving them five this season. Iowa went to the lockerroom with a 24-14 lead despite allowing 8.0 yards per play. Iowa countered that, however, with 6 of 7 on third down conversions and did have a nice balance going with Beathard completing 14 of 20 for 132 yards and 158 rushing yards, with Daniels stacking up 90 of those.

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