A closer look at Iowa football’s matchup against Minnesota

IOWA CITY — The Floyd of Rosedale is up for grabs, leaving its place inside the Hansen Football Performance Center lobby vacant all week. You know what that means.

The Hawkeyes are 1-1 in trophy games this season, but are 10-for-11 in their recent meetings against Minnesota. The annual rivalry game marks the final game before Iowa’s last bye week of the season, and the second matchup in the three-game homestand.

The recent success helps with momentum, but there are certain elements to the Golden Gophers’ identity this season that could peak some interest.

Here’s how Iowa can attack Minnesota in a sold out Kinnick Stadium.

3 keys to victory

Keep up the mean streak, defense

Iowa’s defense has increasingly shown significant improvement since the last bye week. In the last four games, the Hawkeyes have forced seven turnovers.

Of those seven turnovers, there has been four interceptions in the last two games.

The Golden Gophers’ starting quarterback, Drake Lindsey, is a very pass-heavy quarterback. As a redshirt freshman, he’s thrown 1,437 passing yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 205 yards per game.

This isn’t the first time Iowa’s defense is seeing a pass-first quarterback, and with Lindsey’s youth, getting him off-kilter could be a huge boost to the Hawkeyes’ momentum.

“Playing a young guy who's done really an outstanding job,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “You can see him, their whole team, getting better week to week, so he's playing with a lot of confidence.”

The Hawkeyes’ ability to lock down the field against Penn State was crucial in the fourth quarter, and that kind of energy will be a huge part of Saturday’s game against Minnesota.

Keep running the ball

The Iowa offense staple — a good old fashioned run game.

The Hawkeyes have more than 1,300 rushing yards this season, some it thanks to a deep running back room, some thanks to quarterback Mark Gronowski’s mobility outside the pocket. Iowa is ranked No. 34 in team rushing offense nationally and in the top five in the Big Ten.

Though Minnesota’s defensive line had all those sacks against Nebraska last week, it wasn’t one player shining above his teammates. Those nine sacks came across the board, and with the Gophers recording 23 sacks this season, a sack could come from any direction.

“These guys are very aggressive, and they've done a really nice job rushing the passer,” Ferentz said. “It's multiple guys, too. It's not just one guy.”

The good news for Iowa? Ferentz said running backs Jaziun Patterson and TJ Washington Jr. could both return against Minnesota Saturday — giving Iowa its five-man room back for the first time since the very first drive of the 2025 season.

Move the ball quickly

Continuing from the second key, as the Hawkeyes choose to throw the ball more, Gronowski has to be prepared make a decision quickly. He said it was his biggest takeaway from watching film on Minnesota, but it’s re-emphasized with the program-record nine sacks against Nebraska.

“That defensive line is really good,” Gronowski said. “They bring in a lot of great defensive ends that are all playing up there. They're bringing a ton of blitzes, their coordinator had them dialed up that game. But as long as we're getting the ball out quick and our offensive line is playing to the capabilities that they've been playing, I think we'll be good to go.”

Iowa’s offensive line hasn’t let its opponent sack Gronowski since playing Indiana, and have allowed nine all season. The Hawkeyes can, and should, give their starting quarterback time in the pocket. It just may not be as much, especially in third-and-long scenarios — where Minnesota’s had the most success reached the QB.

Prediction

As long as the defense continues its mean streak, Iowa fans should feel good about the Floyd of Rosedale staying in Iowa City. It’s the kind of matchup that can be sneaky close, but the Hawkeyes have a chance to pick up another important win before their bye week.

Iowa 24, Minnesota 17

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