Iowa vs. Minnesota Game Report: Numbers and notes from the Hawkeyes’ 31-14 win

MINNEAPOLIS — A closer look at Iowa’s 31-14 win over Minnesota Saturday night at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Turning point

This game turned the moment Iowa ran its first play of the second half.

The second quarter was abysmal for the Hawkeyes. They were outscored 14-0 for a 14-7 halftime deficit, and at one point were outgained 143 yards to 1 in the quarter. The passing game was ineffective, and so was Iowa’s pass defense.

Then came halftime, and presumed adjustments. Perhaps significant ones, on offense and defense.

The third quarter ended with Iowa ahead 24-14. The Hawkeyes had the ball three times in the period, and went touchdown, touchdown, field goal. Meanwhile, the Gophers’ offense went drier than Dinkytown after last call.

Iowa’s first play of the second half went 20 yards on play-action from Cade McNamara to tight end Addison Ostrenga. That topped McNamara’s first-half passing yardage, 16.

After that, it was the run game that paved the way and paved over the Gophers. Kaleb Johnson had TD runs of 15 and 40 yards in the quarter. He put on a show all game, with 206 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.

Teammate Jaziun Patterson was no slouch himself, with 18 carries for 66 yards.

By the numbers

0 — Iowa held the opposition scoreless in the first quarter for the fourth time in four games and shut out its foe in the fourth quarter for the third time this season.

4 — Johnson had his fourth-straight game of at least two touchdown runs and his fourth-straight 100-yard rushing game. He’s the first Hawkeye with four consecutive 100-yard games since Mark Weisman in 2012.

12 — Johnson had five rushes of 20-plus yards, giving him 12 this season.

17 — Iowa scored 17 points in the third quarter, more than it scored in six of its Big Ten games last season including its 12-10 loss to the Gophers.

76 — It was 76 degrees at kickoff. When Iowa played at Minnesota in 2022, it was 17 degrees. It was never warmer than 46 degrees in any of Iowa’s four visits between 2014 and 2020.

200 — It was Johnson’s second 200-yard rushing game. He had an even 200 at Purdue in 2022.

272 — Iowa had 272 rushing yards, its fourth-straight game of over 200.

Notebook

* Seldom will you see a night-and-day swing of the magnitude this game featured.

Minnesota outgained the Hawkeyes 222 yards to 107 in the first half and looked primed to earn a second-straight victory over Iowa for the first time since 2011. In the second half, it was Iowa with 227 yards to the Gophers’ 66 as it outscored the Gophers 24-0.

* Iowa backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan ran 1 yard for his first touchdown as a Hawkeye. He had three rushing TDs over the previous two years at Northwestern.

* Of the 133 Iowa-Minnesota games, this was the earliest date in which the two have met, and only the third time in September.

* A rainstorm hit the Minnesota campus Saturday at around 3:50 p.m. It didn’t last long, and a large rainbow emerged to the east of the stadium before making a quick exit. The sun came back out almost immediately.

* Culver’s gives a free order of cheese curds to fans attending Gophers home games if Minnesota scores in the third quarter. “Curds in the Third,” they call it. The Gophers were blanked in the third on Saturday.

* Scouts from nine different NFL teams had seats in the press box including the two teams playing in downtown Minneapolis Sunday, the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings.

Injury report

Iowa was without running back Leshon Williams and wide receiver Seth Anderson entering the game.

The Hawkeyes didn’t seem to sustain any injuries of note during the game.

Minnesota didn’t play starting cornerback Justin Walley (knee) and starting safety Aidan Gousby (arm). Walley has six career interceptions, including the one that sealed the Gophers’ 12-10 win at Iowa last year in Iowa City.

Next game

Iowa has the coming week off, and the extra time will be welcome for its next contest, a game at No. 3 Ohio State on Oct. 5. The Buckeyes (3-0) beat Marshall Saturday, 49-14.

Comments: mike.hlas@thegazette.com