The Minnesota Golden Gophers will face their biggest test of the season on Saturday evening at Huntington Bank Stadium as they open Big Ten play against rival Iowa.
The Gophers will look to keep Floyd inside the Larson Football Performance Center on Saturday after bringing him back to Minneapolis last season with a 12-10 win over the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
The Hawkeyes come to town with an identical record to Minnesota's at 2-1 on the season, after a loss to rival Iowa State in week two on a late field goal, the Hawkeyes bounced back with a 38-21 win over Troy last weekend.
Below you can find everything you need for Saturday's contest between the Golden Gophers and Hawkeyes.
When, Where, How to Watch:
WHEN: Saturday, September 14, 6:30 p.m. CT
WHERE: Huntington Bank Stadium (50,805)
TV: NBC // Noah Eagle (PXP), Todd Blackledge (Analyst), Kathryn Tappen (Reporter)
RADIO: KFAN FM 100.3 | SiriusXM: 160 of 196; SXM App // KFAN FM 100.3 | SiriusXM: 132 or 196; SXM App // Mike Grimm (PXP), Darrell Thompson (Analyst), Justin Gaard (Reporter)
SIRIUS XM: 372 | SXM APP
Coaching Matchup
Minnesota - P.J. Fleck (8th year at Minnesota ; 12th overall)
- Career Record: 82-56
- Record at Minnesota: 52-34
-- Career accolades: 2x MAC Coach of the Year (2014, 2016), MAC Champion (2016), Big Ten West champion (2019), Big Ten Coach of the Year (2019)
Iowa Hawkeyes - Kirk Ferentz (26th year at Iowa; 26th overall)
- Career Record: 198-120
- Record at Iowa: 198-120
- Career accolades: 4x Big Ten Coach of the Year, 1x AP Coach of the Year, 1x Walter Camp Coach of the Year, 1x Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, 2x Big Ten Coach of the Year
Series History
Despite Iowa winning a majority of the matchups since 2000, Minnesota still holds the all-time advantage ovre the Hawkeyes with a 63-52-2 record. That being said, the Gophers have not won back-to-back contests against the Hawkeyes since the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
Betting
Iowa opened as a 2.5 point faovrite over Minnesota acrosss various sportsbooks on Sunday and the line has not seen any movement throughout the week. As of Saturday morning, the line is still Iowa -2.5 while the over/under is sitting at 35.5 points.
Weather
It will be a cool evening at Huntington Bank Stadium wtih temperatures potentially dropping into the high 50s during the game. There will be consistent 9-10 mph wind throughout the game while wind gusts could reach as high as 23 mph according to Accuweather.
GAME NOTES (COURTESY OF GOPHERSPORTS.COM
All game notes courtesy of gophersports.com / Full game notes available, here.
1. Minnesota (2-1) opens up Big Ten play Saturday as it hosts Iowa (2-1) in primetime. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. with NBC providing television coverage. The game can also be heard statewide on the Gopher Radio Network. With the game taking place on Sept. 21, this is the earliest in the season that the two teams have ever met in the 133-year history of the rivalry. Previously, there had only been two September games in the series history with those taking place in 2012 (9/29) and 2013 (9/28).
2. Saturday marks the 118th all-time matchup between Minnesota and Iowa, and it's also the 90th battle for Floyd of Rosedale, a 15.5-inch high, 21-inch long bronze statue of a prized hog. First played for in 1935, the all-time series record for Floyd of Rosedale could not be much closer as the Hawkeyes hold a slight lead at 44-43-2. Minnesota is looking to even the series and retain Floyd for the first time since winning back-to-back games in 2010 and 2011.
3. Minnesota is 65-55-8 all-time in Big Ten openers, 72-51-5 in conference openers at home and 3-4 overall in openers under P.J. Fleck. The Gophers have won their past two conference openers, winning at Michigan State in 2022 and opening 2023 with a victory over Nebraska. Saturday will be the 16th time that Minnesota opens its conference slate with Iowa, going 12-3 in the previous meetings. They most recently opened with Iowa in both 2012 and 2013, but before then it had not happened since 1934. Aside from a 1-0 record against Nebraska, Minnesota's .800 win percentage versus Iowa is its best against any school in Big Ten openers.
4. Minnesota is coming off two consecutive shutouts, defeating Rhode Island, 48-0, on Sept. 7 and Nevada, 27-0, on Sept. 14. It's the first time Minnesota has accomplished the feat since October of 1962, and 1926 is the last time Minnesota had bigger back-to-back shutouts (122-0 over Iowa and Butler). All told, under new defensive coordinator Corey Heatherman, Minnesota has gone eight quarters and 121:44 of game time without allowing a point dating to the season opener. The 2006 season marked the last time Minnesota had multiple shutouts in a season, and that season was also the last time the Gophers posted two shutouts within the first three games of the year. This season, Minnesota and Missouri are the only teams with two shutouts.
5. The 2024 campaign is the eighth for head coach P.J. Fleck at Minnesota, where his record stands at 52-35. He is fifth in program history for overall wins, Big Ten wins (29) and games coached (87). Fleck's .598 win percentage is third best among Minnesota coaches with at least 45 games under their helm behind only Henry L. Williams (.786, 1900-21) and Bernie Bierman (.716, 1932-41, '45-50). In his 12th season overall as a college head coach, Fleck is 82-57 (.590).
Reading Material
- Minnesota vs Iowa: Who is the projected starters for Saturday's game?
- Which recruits will be on campus for Minnesota vs Iowa?
- Minnesota vs Iowa: Starters as Recruits & PFF Grade Comparison
- Minnesota vs Iowa: Hawkeyes to know ahead of Saturday's matchup
- A first look at the Iowa Hawkeyes
- Friday Night Standouts: Which future Gophers impressed last weekend?
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