It might be the Gophers' most unlikely feat yet: They closed one of the most disappointing football seasons in their history Saturday -- and left players, coaches and fans wanting more.

"This was a tough year," senior cornerback Ryan Collado said shortly after making a fumble recovery he'll never forget, "but this was easily the highlight of my Minnesota career."

He wasn't alone. Minnesota said farewell to its past, embraced its encouraging future, and finally, emotionally claimed a rivalry trophy -- twice -- by wrapping up its 2010 campaign with a startling but well-earned 27-24 victory over Iowa.

Duane Bennett scored the go-ahead touchdown with 4:31 to play. Then Troy Stoudermire jarred loose a fumble on the next play from scrimmage that short-circuited the Hawkeyes' own rally and Collado dived on the miscue, securing a no-way-in-heck two-game winning streak for the 3-9 Gophers and setting off a pair of stampedes to claim Floyd of Rosedale for the first time since 2006.

Two stampedes? Yep, the Gophers got a dress rehearsal for the real thing when half their roster sprinted across the TCF Bank Stadium Field to claim the goofy-looking iron pig, only to discover Iowa had used a timeout with 35 seconds to play. One more kneel-down by quarterback Adam Weber -- who won the first trophy game of his career, after 11 unsuccessful attempts -- and the pig rush, along with a stadium-consuming celebration, could begin for real.

"I had a lot of fun going over to get the pig the first time," Collado said. "I was OK with doing it again."

Good thing, too, because he'll never have another chance. Nor will Weber, nor fullback Jon Hoese (whose block helped clear room for Bennett on the game-winning score), nor coach Jeff Horton and the assistant coaches. The victory over an Iowa team ranked in the top 10 nationally only two months ago was the Minnesota finale for 15 seniors and ex-coach Tim Brewster's staff.

"There's a lot of joy and emotion in that locker room and on that field," said Horton, who could be replaced as soon as this week. He's been a head coach before, but this victory, he said, "it's the top, just because of all the things that have gone along with it. Because of my demeanor, I seem laid-back, but it's been a long month and a half. But we tried to make a tough situation enjoyable. Everyone stayed on board."

DeLeon Eskridge picked up 95 yards and a touchdown, and Bennett added 63 yards and a score. Weber threw for 164 yards, didn't throw an interception, and even caught a pass.

Combined with a defensive effort that held Iowa to only 91 yards on the ground (compared to Minnesota's 216) and produced a 382-218 overall yardage advantage, the Gophers looked like the team they said they would be back in September.

The Gophers jumped to a 10-0 lead before Iowa ever touched the ball, thanks to Horton's decision to use an onside kick after the first score. And Minnesota had more points by halftime than it had scored in three seasons against Iowa under Brewster.

But the Hawkeyes, who concluded their own disappointing regular season with three consecutive losses and a 7-5 record, rallied. Senior receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos scored a pair of touchdowns, one on a 7-yard reception from Ricky Stanzi, the other on an 88-yard kickoff return.

And when Eskridge fumbled late in the third quarter, allowing Iowa to march for a go-ahead touchdown, the Gophers appeared doomed to the latest in a long series of big-game disappointments.

But a six-play, 77-yard drive against the Big Ten's second-stingiest defense, which ended with Bennett's 6-yard burst up the middle into the end zone, restored the Gophers' lead. And Stoudermire made it stand up by slamming into Iowa tailback Marcus Coker, causing the fumble that Collado recovered and allowed Minnesota to run out the clock.

That fourth-quarter sequence gave the team's seniors a reason to fondly remember a difficult season.

"If you asked them now, they'd think it was a great year," said Horton, who was 2-3 as Gophers head coach. "The way it ended, you couldn't ask for any better."