Iowa notes: Stopping Maye, end zone dives, fight songs

IOWA CITY - An enduring moment from Minnesota's 51-14 win against Iowa last year was Gophers wide receiver K.J. Maye hitting the edge as part of a jet sweep.

Maye ran around the end 10 times for 66 yards and a touchdown last year. Similar to a reverse, a jet sweep is used infrequently. Last year it became a Gophers' one-game staple against the Hawkeyes.

Through Minnesota's first nine games this season, Maye has rushed seven times for 39 yards and a touchdown. But his effectiveness is served in different ways as the Gophers' go-to receiver. He leads the squad with 49 catches for 524 yards and four touchdowns.

'He's a very quick, very explosive receiver,” Iowa cornerback Greg Mabin said. 'I think he's one of the best in the Big Ten. A highly underrated guy. He definitely has the ability to go out there and make big plays. So I'll have to be ready for that.”

Maye also keeps the chains moving. Of his 49 catches, 31 have turned into first downs. Sixteen of those first-down catches have come on third or fourth down. Against Nebraska, Maye hauled in 11 passes to set a TCF Bank Stadium record.

'He's made some tough catches,” Minnesota interim coach Tracy Claeys said. 'Ball gets close to him, he makes the catches he needs to make and at least gets to the sticks. Tough kid. Tough kid. He really is.

'He's playing a lot of plays. At the same time he doesn't want to come out of there. He's a legitimate threat every time. So we've got to find a way to where people can't just pick on him now. We got to make sure we're taking the open receiver.”

TAKING A DIVE

Quarterback C.J. Beathard scored Iowa's go-ahead touchdown on a 7-yard run with 17 seconds left in the second quarter. As Beathard dove toward the end zone, Indiana linebacker Marcus Oliver hit the ball, which flew out of bounds. Replays showed Beathard cross the goal line before he lost the ball. But the moment still gives Beathard some pause.

'Right when I scored, my initial reaction was I hope I didn't fumble out of bounds, out of the end zone,” Beathard said. 'That would have been a terrible way to go, a touchback. But after we scored, I was excited. It was fun.”

After Beathard watched the replay, it became a teachable moment.

'My first reaction was just hold on to the ball next time if that happens again because it was a close call,” he said. 'It could have been a fumble. It went to review and it wasn't; it was a touchdown. But I've just got to make sure I tuck the ball away better.”

SONGLIST

Iowa football officials have played opponents' fight songs in the locker room as a motivator. After the Northwestern game, Iowa wide receiver Jacob Hillyer said he disliked Iowa State's fight song the most because of the rivalry and it sounded louder. Tuesday, Iowa guard Sean Welsh had a surprising answer to the same question.

'Indiana,” he said. 'It was a constant loop. If it was a longer song ... it's a not a bad fight song, but it's so short and we heard it so many times.”

Iowa has yet to play Minnesota's fight song, but players expect to hear it this week.

'It could be played at any time,” Iowa guard Jordan Walsh said.

MYRICK TO MISS GAME

Minnesota cornerback Jalen Myrick, who leads the Gophers in interceptions with three, will miss Saturday's game with a rib and lung injury suffered on the opening kickoff. Myrick, a senior, stayed in a Columbus hospital until Tuesday morning.

'I was told three to four weeks, and he should be back to OK as far as his lung and that goes,” Claeys said. 'You know, by all likelihood he'll be done for the rest of the season.”

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