Jerry Kill could tell from the looks on his players' faces that they needed a mental and physical break after their devastating loss at Illinois two weeks ago.
So the Gophers coach took advantage of the bye week, giving them extra time off, keeping practices shorter and crisp. He even trimmed his pregame pep talk Saturday, joking that some of his longer-winded speeches left players feeling like they were in a board meeting.
Maybe those new tactics were the difference. Or maybe these Gophers were just ready to deliver a once-a-generation beatdown to their hated southern border rival.
The Gophers fell behind Iowa early again but stormed back in stunning fashion, scoring 51 unanswered points in a 51-14 victory before an announced crowd of 49,680 at TCF Bank Stadium.
Mitch Leidner completed 10 of 13 passes for 138 yards and four touchdowns, with three thrown to Maxx Williams. And the Gophers defense made the Iowa offense look like it might want to try something different — like quilting.
The Gophers (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) stormed across the field to grab the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy and waded through a mob of fans who gathered to celebrate the most lopsided victory over Iowa since the 49-7 drubbing at the Metrodome in 1998.
Then, back in the locker room, Kill jumped into the middle of the players' mosh pit and danced a jig, bending his knees and twisting at the waist as he punched his fists in the air.
"Oh, they give me a hard time," Kill said. "I'm hard on players. I'm a disciplinarian, and so forth. So if they're going to play hard for you, you've got to show 'em that you're a human being and have fun. … I can't dance anyway."
If the four-point loss to last-place Illinois was the low point of the season, this was arguably the new high point of Kill's four-year tenure.
It's the first time since 1967 that the Gophers have won Floyd and the Little Brown Jug from Michigan in the same season. Minnesota also won Paul Bunyan's Axe from Wisconsin that year, under Murray Warmath, and Kill's Gophers will have a chance to claim that trophy on Nov. 29.
But first there was some recent history to overcome against Iowa. The Hawkeyes (6-3, 3-2) had throttled Northwestern 48-7 last week and had dominated the Gophers each of the past two years. The combined halftime scores from those two humbling Gophers defeats: 41-0.
Last year, Iowa outgained the Gophers by 299 yards. This time, Minnesota outgained Iowa 429-205. It would have been worse, but Iowa patched together an 81-yard drive against the Gophers' second-stringers to score a meaningless touchdown with 14 seconds remaining.
"They controlled both lines and pretty much dictated the tempo of the game," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said.
On the game's opening drive, the Hawkeyes converted three times on third down on a 76-yard touchdown drive. But the Gophers answered with a 64-yard touchdown drive of their own, capped by a 9-yard run by KJ Maye.
The Gophers defense stymied Iowa from there. The Hawkeyes went 0-for-8 on third down after converting their first five attempts. Minnesota won the turnover battle 3-0. And with Leidner in a zone, the Gophers went 10-for-15 on third down.
"I didn't really see that one coming," Leidner said. "I thought it was going to be a back-and-forth battle all day. So it was cool to see that scoreboard at the end of the game."
It was still tied 7-7 when the Gophers got a partially blocked punt from speedy Eric Murray. On the next play, Leidner hit Donovahn Jones for a 44-yard touchdown, and on the next drive, Leidner found Williams for a 9-yard score, making it 21-7.
The onslaught was dizzying. On Iowa's next play, Steven Richardson sacked Jake Rudock, causing a fumble, and Jack Lynn recovered at the Hawkeyes 22. Seconds later David Cobb stiff-armed a would-be tackler and scampered 6 yards for a touchdown.
Cobb finished with 16 carries for 74 yards. The Gophers never relented, as they geared up for another big home game next week against Ohio State. The 37-point victory was the Gophers' most lopsided Big Ten win since they defeated Indiana 63-26 in 2006.
"Was I concerned going into the game? You bet," Kill said. "As a coach, you just don't know. I don't think they know in the NFL sometimes, but with young kids 17, 18, 19 years old, you're not sure. They've got a lot going on in their lives. But they came to play today."
And by game's end, they were all dancing with a bronze pig.
