P.J. Fleck looking to end Iowa’s domination over Minnesota
Minnesota Coach P.J. Fleck discusses a previous play with an official during a timeout in the fourth quarter against Nebraska Thursday August 31, 2023 at Huntington Bank Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
It’s no mystery that the Hawkeyes have dominated the Golden Gophers on the gridiron for nearly a decade.
One of College football’s most beloved rivalries in the midwest has remained one-sided. Iowa’s Coach Kirk Ferentz continues to keep his foot on the gas whenever it comes to the battle for Floyd Rosedale. After all, the Hawkeyes have won the last eight meetings.
Not to mention Iowa hasn’t lost at home to Minnesota since 1999, which was Ferentz’s first season as coach. Ferentz is 6-0 head-to-head against P.J. Fleck, and that’s something Golden Gopher fans want to end immediately. Fleck will have an opportunity to change the narrative Saturday afternoon, when his team invades Iowa City.
However, the two teams appear to be going in opposite directions on the season. Iowa (6-1) is ranked 24th in the AP Poll, and in the driver’s seat in the Big Ten West. Minnesota (3-3) has lost three of its’ last four games, and is winless on the road this season.
Whenever the Hawkeyes and Golden Gophers clash it’s always a physical, and scrappy game. Often times the rivalry goes down to the wire. It’s hard to argue against that when three of the last four meetings have been decided by less than a touchdown. Coming off a bye-week should benefit Fleck’s squad. Michigan pounded Minnesota, but having the time off allowed Fleck to regroup, get players healthy and hit the reset button on his 2023 campaign.
Pulling off such a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in nearly 25 years would do wonders for Fleck. Still, Ferentz is College football’s longest-tenured coach, and he knows the Golden Gophers like the back of his hand. Iowa has a glaring weakness too. The Hawkeyes rank dead last in the FBS in total offense. Quarterback Deacon Hill doesn’t have a lot of experience and is thin on pass catchers, so that could possibly be an area Fleck can exploit.
Ferentz has his boys playing their best ball on defense and special teams though. There’s no denying this game will be won in the trenches, and Ferentz will make sure to keep it tight in a phone booth. Hawkeye punter Tory Taylor is the nation’s best, and is bound to give the Golden Gophers bad field position throughout the matchup.
Fleck will have a slim margin for error, especially on the road. The seventh-year coach has never had a chance to hoist the pig. So pulling off this upset will be epic in many ways for the program. Kinnick Stadium will be rocking. It’s going to be the loudest venue Minnesota will play in up this point in the season. The Golden Gophers are 3.5 point underdogs, but games aren’t played on paper. It’s still any given Autumn Saturday, and Fleck needs to pull out all the stops in order for Minnesota to leave Iowa City with a victory.
