Fun Facts: Iowa-Minnesota

1. Iowa has scored more than 30 points in its last three games. It has never done so in four consecutive Big Ten games.

2. Minnesota running back David Cobb has 2,398 career rushing yards. That's very good, but it's barely more than half of Gophers all-time leader Darrell Thompson, who had 4,654. Thompson is the color analyst on Gopher football radio broadcasts.

3. Thompson tweeted this on Sunday: I have committed to eat bacon EVERY DAY this week in honor of Floyd of Rosedale. Join me, and help bring home the #Bacon. @fueling_gophers

4. Iowa has outscored opponents in the first quarter by a total of 87-31. The plus-56 points is tied for sixth-best in the nation. Yes, someone keeps statistics of things like that.

5. Minnesota and Iowa are both 7-3 in their last 10 Big Ten games. Michigan State and Ohio State are both 10-0 in their last Big Ten games. In fact, MSU has won 13 straight regular-season conference games, and OSU has won its last 20. One of them loses Saturday night.

6. Like Iowa, Minnesota is 3-1 in the Big Ten. The Gophers haven't been 4-1 in the conference since 1990.

7. The Gophers have lost their last six bowls. They haven't played in a major bowl since the 1961 Rose Bowl. Since then they've been in a Hall of Fame Bowl, an Independence Bowl, a Liberty Bowl, a Micron PC Bowl, two Sun Bowls, two Music City Bowls, two Texas Bowls, and three Insight Bowls.

8. All of Minnesota's first four Big Ten opponents have losing records in league play.

9. Minnesota has 13 college graduates on its roster. Only Boston College and Alabama (15) have more.

10. The only Iowan on Minnesota's team is linebacker Cody Poock of Okoboji. He is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

11. One of three Minnesotans on Iowa's roster is preferred walk-on Zach Johnson of Minnetonka, a long snapper. This has to please another Zach Johnson, a Hawkeyes fan.

12. There is an Iowa City, California, though it's unincorporated. There also is a Minneapolis, Kansas and a Minneapolis, North Carolina.

13. The last visiting team to play at TCF Bank Stadium was the Washington Redskins, who lost to the Vikings Sunday. The Redskins had a rough ride from their team hotel to the stadium.

14. With this game, no visiting team has played at TCF Bank more than Iowa.

15. There are 21 scheduled events in the 2015 College Fishing Program. Incredibly, none are in Minnesota.