P.J. Fleck faced off with Kirk Ferentz and Iowa for the ninth time since becoming the head coach at Minnesota. The Gophers put together one of their worst performances under Fleck, and they were blown out 41-3.
Iowa opened the game with a dominant nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, and the Gophers were playing on their back foot all afternoon. After a three-and-out on their first offensive drive, the defense forced a Hawkeye field goal before Drake Lindsey gave the ball right back on the first pick-six of his career. Iowa led 17-0 before the end of the first quarter.
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Things proceeded to only get worse. Iowa added another scoring drive and a punt return touchdown to make it 31-0 at the half. Minnesota had -4 rushing yards as a team, and star running back Darius Taylor left the game after only one carry. It was truly a disastrous start for Minnesota.
The second half was much of the same after Lindsey came out of the locker room with another interception. It was his first taste of a true rivalry matchup as a starting quarterback at the college level, and he looked overwhelmed. With 109 passing yards and three interceptions, it was the first game of the season where the moment looked too big.
P.J. Fleck did everything he could to avoid the shutout loss. He opted to call a timeout before the end of the third quarter so kicker Brady Denaburg had a better advantage with the wind at his back to attempt a 34-yard field goal.
Iowa added 10 more points in the second half, and the final score was 41-3. The Hawkeyes out-gained Minnesota with 274 total yards compared to 133. The Gophers had 24 total rushing yards as a team. The box score doesn’t tell the whole story of a true beatdown. The Gophers were dominated in every single facet of the game, and Fleck is now 1-8 against Iowa as the head coach of Minnesota.
The Gophers will look to get back in the win column next week. They host Michigan State at Huntington Bank Stadium for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff, as they look to get to six wins and claim bowl eligibility.
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