U hoping pig flies home in emotion-charged finale

IOWA CITY, IOWA - The Little Brown Jug trophy game against Michigan might be older. The Gophers' rivalry with Wisconsin for Paul Bunyan's Axe has burned especially bright since coach Tim Brewster arrived on the U campus. But don't forget the significance of Floyd of Rosedale, the trophy at stake in today's regular-season finale at Iowa.

The bronze trophy bearing the likeness of a pig is something the Gophers desperately want to bring home. For many reasons, but none more pressing than the memory of last year's 55-0 drubbing at the hands of the Hawkeyes at the Metrodome.

"This is a great chance for us," defensive tackle Eric Small said. "This is such a big rivalry; it's always fun no matter what. But there is so much on the table here, so much we could get out of this game. I haven't won a trophy in my time here. It would be a great way to go out. I couldn't think of a better way."

Adam Weber grew up in Minnesota. His dad played for the Gophers. So he knows history.

He remembers as a kid watching the Gophers beat Iowa on TV. He remembers watching a bunch of Iowa fans storm the Metrodome field and tear down the goalposts after a 2002 victory over the Gophers.

"You remember all that stuff," Weber, the Gophers starting quarterback, said this week. "So there is a little excitement to going there and playing them. Growing up as a Gophers fan, this means a lot to me."

And of course, the memory of last year.

"Coming off last year's game, this is really important for me," Weber said. "I want to go out and have a solid game, put together drives and get that pig back. That would be a nice ride home."

There is so much on the table today.

Minnesota enters the game 6-5, bowl-eligible for the second consecutive season. It also enters it without a conference victory in November in Tim Brewster's three years as coach, without a victory over a ranked opponent in the Brewster era.

A victory over the 15th-ranked Hawkeyes would give the Gophers seven victories, the same as last year, but against a better schedule. According to statistics guru Jeff Sagarin, the Gophers played the nation's 78th most-difficult schedule last season. Through 11 games this season, Sagarin has the Gophers' 2009 schedule ranked 28th.

Beating the Hawkeyes could enhance the Gophers' bowl position while giving Brewster a signature victory.

But Iowa also has plenty of incentive. The Hawkeyes (9-2) still have a shot at a BCS bowl game and could earn a share of the Big Ten title, although it would take an upset victory by Michigan over Ohio State.

The Gophers know what it will take to win at Iowa.

For starters, they need strong defensive performance, much like they had at Penn State and in the first half at Ohio State.

The offense, meanwhile, must rebound sharply from last week's 16-13 victory over South Dakota State, in which the Gophers failed to score an offensive touchdown. It won't be easy. The Gophers have struggled against the Big Ten's top defenses; Minnesota was shut out by Penn State and stymied by Ohio State. Iowa's defense is in that class, led by a strong front four.

"We know on offense that, at times, we've struggled," Weber said. "Especially against some good defenses, the Penn States, the Ohio States. So now it's another opportunity, another challenge, to go out there and just come together for one last week. Obviously, we have a bowl game, but that's a long ways off. This is truly a one-week season where we can devote everything to this game.

"But -- and this is what we're trying to get across -- the most important thing we're playing for is the pig. And, coming off last year's game against Iowa, there is so much more to it."

Last year's one-sided loss to Iowa came on the heels of an emotional, 35-32 loss at Wisconsin the week before, one in which linebacker Lee Campbell and safety Kyle Theret were injured.

The Gophers believe things are different this year. This week, Brewster said the change in the schedule that moved Wisconsin earlier in the season to separate the two trophy games was a good thing. This time the Gophers are coming off the victory over South Dakota State, albeit one that was closer than anyone wanted. There isn't the emotional hangover of a year ago.

What remains, of course, is the motivation of that 55-0 loss.

"We remember," Brewster said. "We did not play well against those guys last year, in large part due to them. They had a really good team. This is an opportunity to go down there and have another shot, another opportunity. Nobody is going to give us a chance in the game, and probably rightfully so. We'll be a huge underdog in the football game. We understand this."