Waiting For Pictures To Update

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I know that’s still a picture of Iowa carrying the Floyd of Rosedale as though they still own the thing, which I know is wrong.

We’re simply waiting for our media provider to give us updated pictures from today’s game so that we can put up a picture of the Golden Gophers bringing Floyd back home.

Patience, young grasshoppers. Change is coming.

Gopher Seniors Finally Bring Home A Trophy With 27-24 Victory Over Iowa

(Sports Network) – Duane Bennett rumbled into the end zone from six yards out with 4:31 left in the fourth quarter to lift the Minnesota Golden Gophers over the 24th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, 27-24, in the final regular-season game for each school.

Bennett carried the ball 11 times for 63 yards for the Gophers (3-9, 2-6 Big Ten), who won back-to-back games to finish the season. DeLeon Eskridge rushed for 95 yards on 21 carries and also scored once.

Minnesota senior quarterback Adam Weber completed 13-of-26 passes for 164 yards in the annual battle for Floyd of Rosedale. Iowa had won eight of the last nine meetings between these teams.

Ricky Stanzi connected on 10-of-22 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns for the Hawkeyes (7-5, 4-4), who lost three straight to end the year.

Marcus Coker carried the ball 21 times for 89 yards. Marvin McNutt and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos each caught a TD pass, with Johnson-Koulianos also adding an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 27, Iowa Hawkeyes 24 - Gophers Force Huge Turnover

On the first play of Iowa’s latest drive, they handed the ball again to freshman Marcus Coker. Coker cut back and appeared to have a big lane to run through, but then got popped by Troy Stoudermire, and the ball flew out onto the TCF Bank Stadium turf.

After a scrum for the football, the referee stood up and signaled that the Gophers had recovered, and had first-and-ten from the Iowa 44-yard line.

With just about three minutes left in the football game, the Gophers are hanging on to a 27-24 lead.

FUMBLE!! Gopher Ball

The much maligned Gopher defense just forced an Iowa turnover and they have the ball on the Iowa 45, with just over 4:00 to go.

BRING THE PIG HOME!!

Minnesota Golden Gophers 27, Iowa Hawkeyes 24 - Gophers Take The Lead Back

The Minnesota Golden Gophers needed to put together their biggest drive of the year after relinquishing the lead to the Iowa Hawkeyes, and that’s exactly what they did.

The drive started with two big pass plays, a 19-yarder from Adam Weber to MarQueis Gray, followed by a 40-yarder from Weber to Da’Jon McKnight. When the drive looked like it was getting ready to stall, Gray took a snap in the Wild Gopher and picked up six yards on a third-and-four to convert. On the next play, Duane Bennett took a handoff from Weber and smashed it in from six yards out for the touchdown.

Eric Ellestad hit the extra point, and the Gophers have taken the lead back, 27-24, in the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale. We have 4:25 remaining at TCF Bank Stadium.

Duane Bennett Scores--Gophers Take The Lead!

With just under four minutes to go, Duane Bennett powered in from 5 yards out to give the Gophers a 27-24 lead.

Come on, HOLD. Get a rivalry trophy for the outgoing seniors.

Iowa Hawkeyes 24, Minnesota Golden Gophers 20 - Iowa Capitalizes On Gopher Miscue

The Hawkeyes took the DeLeon Eskridge fumble and turned it into their first lead of the day.

Ricky Stanzi and company moved the ball down the field, primarily on the ground with freshman running back Marcus Coker, and a big third down was converted on a pass to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. The touchdown pass went from Stanzi to Marvin McNutt, the sixth consecutive game that duo has hooked up for a score.

The extra point was good, and with 11:35 remaining in the Gophers’ 2010 season, they trail for the first time all day by a score of 24-20.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 20, Iowa Hawkeyes 17 - Gophers With A Big Turnover

The Gophers appeared to have been putting something together on offense, as they had driven into Iowa territory at the 36-yard line after a nice run by DeLeon Eskridge. However, on the next play, Eskridge was stripped of the ball by an Iowa defender, and the Hawkeyes recovered.

Now Iowa looks to be moving the football, as Ricky Stanzi has hit Derrell Johnson-Koulianos with a pass into Gopher territory as the third quarter comes to a close.

One quarter left to go in the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale, and the Gophers are still clinging to a 20-17 lead at TCF Bank Stadium.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 20, Iowa Hawkeyes 17 - Slow Going In The Second Half

After updating fast and furious in the first half, you’ll noticed we’ve slowed down since then. The reason for that is quite simple.

Both Iowa and Minnesota have had two possessions since halftime, and not only have neither one of them scored, neither of them have crossed midfield.

Hence, with a little more than six minutes left in the third quarter, the Gophers still have a 20-17 lead over the Hawkeyes at TCF Bank Stadium.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 20, Iowa Hawkeyes 17 - Hawkeyes Get The Three Back

The Hawkeyes answered the Gophers’ most recent field goal with one of their own.

Iowa drove down the field after a short kickoff. . .been a lot of those on both sides. . .and got themselves into the Minnesota red zone. However, after a rare sack by Dwan Edwards (his third of the year, and only the team’s ninth), the Hawkeyes couldn’t convert another first down, and had to settle for a 35-yard field goal from freshman kicker Michael Meyer.

Forty-five seconds remain in the first half, and barring something weird, the Gophers will go into the locker room leading the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale by a score of 20-17.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 20, Iowa Hawkeyes 14 - Gophers Add To The Lead

The Gophers are getting plenty of traction against a stalwart Iowa defense, but have had to settle for field goals a couple times rather than touchdowns.

Adam Weber appeared to have DaJon McKnight open on a third down in the red zone on this most recent drive, but the pass fell harmlessly to the turf. So, the Gophers had to settle for a 35-yard Eric Ellestad field goal instead.

With 5:35 left before halftime, the Gophers now lead the Hawkeyes 20-14.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 17, Iowa Hawkeyes 14 - DJ-K Takes It To The House

Derrell Johnson-Koulianos is good. He’s really good.

On the kickoff following the Gophers’ latest touchdown, Johnson-Koulianos took the kickoff at the 12-yard line and, as the announcers on the Big Ten Network said, he wouldn’t have been down if these teams were playing touch football. He started to the right, blasted through a hole, and went totally untouched for an 88-yard score.

In the last 2:49 worth of game time, we’ve seen three touchdowns. This game is turning into a shootout.

With 12:04 left before halftime, the Gophers lead the Hawkeyes 17-14.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 17, Iowa Hawkeyes 7 - Gophers Capitalize Again

It didn’t take Gophers long to make the Hawkeyes pay for Ricky Stanzi’s fumble deep in Iowa territory.

The Gophers covered the 23 yards in just three plays. The first was a 1-yard run by DeLeon Eskridge, the second was an incomplete pass, but a roughing the passer penalty on Iowa’s Christian Ballard moved the ball to the 11-yard line. Eskridge did the rest, taking a handoff from Adam Weber and going in from 11 yards out to give the Gophers another touchdown. The play was reviewed, and the touchdown eventually stood as called.

With 12:16 left in the first half of play, the Minnesota Golden Gophers lead the Iowa Hawkeyes by a score of 17-7.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 10, Iowa Hawkeyes 7 - Huge Turnover By Iowa

The Hawkeyes forced the first punt of the game by the Gophers, but didn’t give themselves a chance to do much with it.

On the first play of the ensuing drive, Ricky Stanzi pulled away from center too quickly and put the snap on the ground. In the ensuing scrum, cornerback Troy Stoudermire came up with the football for the Gophers, and they take over at the Hawkeye 23-yard line.

With 12:30 left in the first half, the Gophers still lead the Hawkeyes 10-7.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 10, Iowa Hawkeyes 7 - Hawkeyes Answer Back

The Iowa Hawkeyes offense is actually kind of good. . .you know, when the Gophers allow them on the field.

Ricky Stanzi and company took over from their own 30-yard line, and proceeded to march down the field without a whole lot of resistance from the Minnesota defense. They got the Hawkeyes into third down situations twice. . .once, Stanzi ran for 10 yards on a third-and-9 to keep the drive alive, and the second one saw Stanzi hit a quick slant to receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos for a 7-yard score.

With 14:53 left in the second quarter, the Gophers lead the Hawkeyes by a score of 10-7, and are setting up with pretty good field position around their own 40-yard line.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 10, Iowa Hawkeyes 0 - Gophers Take Advantage Of The Onside Kick

The Gophers have, apparently, waited until the last week of the year to put together their best game. The game has been going for nine minutes and 16 seconds, the Iowa offense has yet to be on the field, and it’s starting to show.

Minnesota took the onside kick they recovered and matriculated it down the field once again, showing the same good combination of passing and running they showed on their first drive. However, this one got cashed in for seven points, as MarQueis Gray took a shotgun snap out of the Wild Gopher on third-and-1, took it around the right side, and raced into the end zone from 14 yards out.

With 5:44 left in the first quarter, the Gophers lead the battle for the Floyd of Rosedale, 10-0.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 3, Iowa Hawkeyes 0 - Tricky, Tricky Gophers

Apparently one possession wasn’t enough for the Gophers to start the game, and they appear to be serious about bringing the Floyd back to Minneapolis.

After getting the early field goal to go up 3-0, the Gophers perfectly executed an onside kick. Kicker Eric Ellestad put the ball on the ground, hid behind a couple of blockers, and recovered the ball after it had gone 10 yards.

The Gophers are driving again, as they’re into Iowa territory after the onside kick, and they lead the Hawkeyes 3-0 with about six and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 3, Iowa Hawkeyes 0 - Gophers Strike First For A Change

For the first time in a Big Ten game this season, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have gotten on the board first.

Taking the opening kickoff, the Gophers moved downfield with a nice mix of run and pass, highlighted by an 18-yard reception from running back Duane Bennett and a 20-yard run by quarterback Adam Weber. After a couple of opportunities in the red zone went by the boards, including a pass in the end zone off of the hands of Eric Lair, the Gophers had to settle for a 26-yard Eric Ellestad field goal.

Not only was this the first time that the Gophers had scored first in a Big Ten game this year, it’s the first time they’ve scored against Iowa at all since 2007.

Gophers Host Hawkeyes In Battle For The Floyd Of Rosedale

Barely hanging on in the national rankings, the Iowa Hawkeyes get ready to close out the regular season on Saturday as the 24th-ranked squad pays a visit to the Minnesota Golden Gophers for a Big Ten Conference clash at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Iowa was a dominant program during the first half of the 2010 campaign, but then a one-point loss to Wisconsin exposed some cracks in the armor. After a couple of victories against Michigan State and Indiana, the Hawkeyes fell back into the loss column in a couple of close calls. First there was the 21-17 setback at Northwestern, and last weekend the team failed to take down Ohio State before the Buckeyes could escape with a 20-17 win at home.

"The biggest positive for us will be having a chance to come out with eight wins," head coach Kirk Ferentz said of the disappointing setback against OSU. "It will take a little while; this one stings."

At this stage Iowa is 7-4 overall and 4-3 in conference play, which means they'll be accepting a bid to something less prestigious than a BCS matchup.

As for the Golden Gophers, they've won a total of just two games in 11 tries, the first of those coming against Middle Tennessee on the road in the season opener, 24-17. After that the program experienced a nine-game slide that finally came to an end on November 13th in a 38-34 win over Illinois.

With respect to an all-time series between these two Big Ten programs, Minnesota leads by a count of 59-42-2.

A one-yard TD run by Marcus Coker early in the fourth quarter put the Hawkeyes ahead by seven points against Ohio State last week, but then the offense went cold for the hosts and the defense allowed the Buckeyes to put together scoring drives of 11 and 12 plays to regain the lead and hold on for the victory. Coker finished with 70 yards for the Hawkeyes on the ground, while Ricky Stanzi made good on 20-of-31 passes for 195 yards and a score in the losing cause.

From a defensive standpoint, Iowa didn't allow OSU QB Terrelle Pryor to have his way, in fact the Hawkeyes limited Pryor to less than 300 total yards and intercepted him once in the close call. Shaun Prater had one of those picks and also broke up two passes. Defensive end Adrian Clayborn posted seven stops but only one quarterback hurry as the Hawkeyes did have some trouble catching up with Pryor in the pocket. aside from the one sack by lineman Christian Ballard.

"When you have an athlete like Terelle Pryor, you have to get after him," Ballard said after the game. "He's a playmaker and he made some plays when they counted."

Clayborn, a starter in 35 games in his career, is one of four finalists for the Rotary Lombardi Award and is also a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award this year, even though his stats are far from overwhelming. As far as the overall defense is concerned, Iowa is sixth in the nation in stopping the run (93.3 ypg) and sixth in scoring defense (15.5 ppg), even though the group is 110th in TFLs (4.45 per game).

Offensively it is all about Stanzi who is first in the conference and sixth in the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 163.17. The QB, who is one of five finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, has thrown at least one TD in every game this season and has just four picks on 302 attempts. So, while he doesn't take the spotlight every weekend for the Hawkeyes, he's also never in the doghouse either.

In Adam Weber the Golden Gophers have one of the most experienced quarterbacks in college football right now. Heading into the 50th game of his career, Weber has already passed for close to 11,000 yards and 72 touchdowns, but he doesn't get too much attention around the nation because Minnesota is struggling so much. He also doesn't appear in too many highlights this season because he has nine interceptions, against just 20 TDs.

Ranked 10th in the conference and 90th nationally, the rushing attack for the Gophers is fairly innocuous with just 127.9 ypg, so it is up to Weber to do as much damage as he can when he settles into the pocket.

The defense for the Golden Gophers has been simply brutal this season. Outside of the 17 points allowed to Middle Tennessee in the opener, no opponent has scored less than four touchdowns versus Minnesota this year. As a result, the scoring defense is 101st in the country with 33.8 ppg allowed. The run defense has given up 200.6 ypg and while that might not be a mode of attack for the Hawkeyes necessarily, the visitors could make schemes to exploit that deficiency anyway.

Given that Minnesota is 119th in the country in sacks entering this week, Stanzi should have plenty of time to hang out in the pocket and pick out his receivers as the Hawkeyes pick up their eighth win of the campaign.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Iowa 35, Minnesota 14