Gophers at Iowa, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Kinnick Stadium, CBS, 100.3-FM; Line: Iowa by 9½ (38.5 over/under)
A Gophers team that rallied to beat Rutgers and Purdue in its previous two Big Ten victories kept things drama-free in a 24-6 win over No. 25 Nebraska last Friday. The Gophers imposed their will on the Huskers with a 14-play, 98-yard drive that ate 8:43 off the clock and boosted their lead to 14-6 in the third quarter. Nine sacks of QB Dylan Raiola shut down Nebraska’s offense.
Three big story lines
Stepping into a hornet’s nest
When we last saw the Kinnick Stadium faithful in 2023, some fans were pelting the field with beer bottles and other debris after officials ruled that an invalid fair-catch signal wiped out what would have been the go-ahead touchdown on Cooper DeJean’s 54-yard punt return in the final two minutes. Instead, the Gophers held on for a 12-10 win. Expect emotions to be high again.
The pig is the prize
This will be the 119th meeting between the Gophers and Iowa, and Minnesota leads the series 63-53-2. The teams have played for Floyd of Rosedale, the 98-pound bronze trophy of a prized hog, since 1935 with Iowa leading 45-43-2. The Gophers will try to make it back-to-back wins in Iowa City for the first time since 1979 and ’81.
Who’ll own the second half?
The Gophers have been slow starters, being outscored 24-3 in the first quarter in their five games against Power Four opponents. They’ve been strong in the third quarter, outscoring those opponents 31-10. In the second half, Minnesota has had a 55-48 edge. Iowa, though, has allowed an average of only 5 second-half points in its five Power Four games.
