Minnesota players like their slice of bacon

MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota's players nearly were flagged for premature celebration, but there was no holding back from the inevitable rush for Floyd of Rosedale tonight.

The Gophers had lost 11 consecutive trophy games entering its game against Iowa, and Floyd of Rosedale had set up near-permanent residence in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes had won eight of the last nine in the series, including the last three.

So when quarterback Adam Weber took a knee with 35 seconds left in the game and a 27-24 lead, the Gophers surged toward the 98.3-pound bronze pig located around the 15-yard line. But Iowa called its final timeout, and the Minnesota players had to take the field for one more play.

“I actually was running over to tell guys to get back over to the sideline, and I lost my voice doing that,” Minnesota running back Duane Bennett said. “Me and (fullback) Jon Hoese had a plan to run over and get the pig but once we realized they called a timeout, I had to rally the troops and get back to the sideline before we got a penalty. because Iowa was screaming for us to get some type of delay of game or some type of sideline warning penalty.”

Bennett described the mob scene for Floyd as “surreal” and Gophers quarterback MarQueis Gray said the on-field security had to pull him away from the Gopher fans.

“When I got in there everybody was taking pictures next to the pig, seeing a couple of players running naked with towels over their head,” Gray said. “We were having a good time.”

Minnesota quarterback Adam Weber, who was a red-shirt the last time the Gophers won the pig, was one of the first players to rush for Floyd but didn't carry him.

I touched the pig before and I realized I probably can't lift it, so I let the other guys do it,” he said.

“I've never won a trophy game, so it's really big.”

Minnesota interim coach Jeff Horton said the team had plans for Floyd on Sunday before the team banquet.

“We're supposed to march that pig down University Avenue and stop at every establishment on the way, but I don't know if that's going to happen,” Horton quipped.

Minnesota has claimed the pig 40 times, but its last win against Iowa was in 2006 under former coach Glen Mason.

RISK TAKERS

With only two wins entering the game, the Gophers planned to take risks from the beginning. That included plans for an onside kick.

Minnesota kicked a field goal on the game's opening drive to take a 3-0 lead. Then Gophers kicker Eric Ellestad stroked an onside kick straight ahead against a backpedaling Iowa kick return unit and recovered it at his 42.

“If they'd have taken the ball to start the game, we would have started with an onside kick,” Horton said. “We said after our first points, whether it was a touchdown or a field goal, we were going to go for the onside kick. We were going to let it roll. We had a good opportunity with how they lined up. Ellestad kicked it perfectly.”

Weber said it's a formation the team worked on daily before the Iowa game.

“That's something you have to hone in and you have to have confidence in,” Weber said. “(Ellestad) got it to bounce where he knew where that ball was going to pop and he jumped right on it. You can't draw it up any better.”

The Gophers then drove 58 y58 yards in 11 plays, culminating in a 14-yard touchdown run by Gray, giving the Gophers a 10-0 lead.