Iowa Hawkeye Football Schedule Prep: Week 4 vs. Minnesota

BleedGopher

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Per Harrison:

The anticipation of the 2024 college football season is all we have for roughly three months, or at least until the EA Sports video game franchise returns. So in the meantime, we'll continue to look ahead to the season week by week to get an early look into the Iowa Hawkeyes opponents.

In Week 4, the Hawkeyes hit the road for the first time to get started in the new-look Big Ten Conference against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Iowa lost four games in 2023, and one of the more frustrating losses was against Minnesota. The Golden Gophers failed to score a touchdown and still managed to win a game in Kinnick Stadium for the first time since 1999.

That was after a Cooper DeJean 54-yard punt return touchdown was wiped off the board with less than two minutes to go. Iowa's offense stalled without Cade McNamara and Erick All, and the Gophers escaped with a 12-10 win.

After a tolerable non-conference schedule to start the season, there won't need to be much inspiration from Kirk Ferentz for the Hawkeyes when they head to Minneapolis.

The Gophers are still led by head coach PJ Fleck, who has brought the most success the program has seen in 60 years over the past seven seasons. The Gophers have won five bowls and posted just the second 10+win season since 1905 under Fleck.

Still, last year the Gophers finished 6-7 after limping into the Quick Lane Bowl against Bowling Green. Minnesota is bringing back 14 starters from last year's squad, nine of which are on defense.

EDGE Jah Joyner, linebacker Cody Lindenberg and defensive back Jack Henderson lead a defensive unit that sees Corey Hetherman take over as a first-time FBS defensive coordinator. Minnesota's defense ranked 10th in the Big Ten in 2023, giving up 26.7 points per game.

Offensively, Fleck is hoping to get more out of his offense through the air, though he'll be doing so with a new quarterback. Max Brosmer steps in as the signal caller out of the Transfer Portal following a 3,464-yard, 29-touchdown and five-interception performance at New Hampshire last year. He'll be looking to Daniel Jackson, who caught eight touchdown passes in 2023, as his priority target.

Of course, the Gophers will still look to run the ball proficiently. Darius Taylor likely has the command of the backfield coming off a team-leading 799-yard freshman season with five touchdowns in just six games. The Gophers also added Sieh Bangura from Ohio and Marcus Major from Oklahoma via the Transfer Portal to give the ground game plenty of depth.

So long as Iowa doesn't stumble out of the conference, the Hawkeyes should come into this contest a solid favorite, even if the point spread might be low. On paper, Iowa has a stronger roster - but Fleck has made a career of doing more with less.

Nonetheless, this is a fun matchup to kick off the conference schedule for Iowa as they look to get a win back on the Gophers. Still, Iowa needs a strong performance, because the team awaiting them in Week 5 is the early favorite to take the Big Ten.

The game is set for September 21 with kickoff time and television and streaming channels to be announced at a later date.


Go Gophers!!
 




This is one of many "snackie" type of articles we'll see before the main course.

I thought the line, "...but Fleck has made a career of doing more with less" rang true. I had never thought of it in those words. In the pros Jeff Fisher had that reputation.

Brosmer really intrigues me and that backfield could be punishing to defenses. I don't think Kirk is looking forward to coming to Dinkytown.

P.S. Summer is always more enjoyable when we have an optimistic preseason.
 


That was after a Cooper DeJean 54-yard punt return touchdown was wiped off the board with less than two minutes to go.


There has to be at least one Iowa fan that understands why fake fair catch signals are not allowed?

Live from new Dejean’s new home state



 

I was going to say something about the "tolerable" non-conference schedule reference.

then I looked at IA's non-conf sched vs MN's, and they're not all that far off.

Iowa plays
Illinois State (FCS) (6-5)
Iowa State (B12) (7-6)
Troy (Sun Belt) 11-3

MN plays
North Carolina (ACC) (8-5)
Rhode Island (FCS) (6-5)
Nevada (Mt West) (2-10)

MN playing North Carolina is a step up from Iowa playing Iowa State as a P4 Opponent. But Iowa playing Troy is a better opponent than MN playing Nevada for a G5 game. and both teams play an FCS team that went 6-5 last year.

So I am forced to conclude that the non-conf schedules are very similar and Iowa might have a more challenging non-conf schedule when you compare Troy - a good Sun Belt team - to Nevada, a bad Mt West team. (this is without checking to see what Troy has coming back).
 

“A solid favorite even if the point spread is low.” Huh? That makes no sense, plus why would they be a solid favorite on the road after losing at home and arguably being outplayed the last four years?
 

“A solid favorite even if the point spread is low.” Huh? That makes no sense, plus why would they be a solid favorite on the road after losing at home and arguably being outplayed the last four years?

Given the recent history of the series, I think it's reasonable to say that Iowa would be a likely favorite looking 3 1/2 months ahead of this game (I don't think that I'd use the word "solid"). There are three games before this one, though, and oddsmakers will know more after that.

Coming from an Iowa fan writer, I thought this little piece was fair enough. Minnesota has to establish a better record against Iowa going forward to be consider a presumptive favorite in an early projection.
 



Game 4 seems decades away considering how much there is to learn in the time before that.
 

There has to be at least one Iowa fan that understands why fake fair catch signals are not allowed?

Live from new Dejean’s new home state




In fairness to the author, he didn't make any statement about the legitimacy of the call that wiped out the touchdown. For an Iowa fan, I'd call that progress.
 

Based on Fleck's history with Captain Kirk, it is fair for a preseason prognosticator to favor Iowa. PJ's Gophers have choked often again Iowa. And Iowa almost beast us last year though playing a QB materially worse than even ours. The odds that have some credibility are those set after the first three games, when it will be more clear how each team's current version is performing.
 

In fairness to the author, he didn't make any statement about the legitimacy of the call that wiped out the touchdown. For an Iowa fan, I'd call that progress.

You’re taking a more charitable view of the words, tone, and meaning than I am but OK, he didn’t go on for a several paragraphs whining about how it was just a rebalancing move, or not a rule, or a rule that is never reinforced and a rule that definitely shouldn’t be enforced if the coach colludes with officials before the game to not enforce a rule that doesn’t exist. I’ll give him that.

No matter, the whole sorry episode has renewed, deepened, and broadened my hatred for the Hawkeyes and their fans. The glinty old dermatochalatic coach throwing a fit after their cheat didn’t work (this time) was truly memorable
 



You’re taking a more charitable view of the words, tone, and meaning than I am but OK, he didn’t go on for a several paragraphs whining about how it was just a rebalancing move, or not a rule, or a rule that is never reinforced and a rule that definitely shouldn’t be enforced if the coach colludes with officials before the game to not enforce a rule that doesn’t exist. I’ll give him that.

No matter, the whole sorry episode has renewed, deepened, and broadened my hatred for the Hawkeyes and their fans. The glinty old dermatochalatic coach throwing a fit after their cheat didn’t work (this time) was truly memorable
I'll have to use dermatochalatic in the future.
 

Based on Fleck's history with Captain Kirk, it is fair for a preseason prognosticator to favor Iowa. PJ's Gophers have choked often again Iowa. And Iowa almost beast us last year though playing a QB materially worse than even ours. The odds that have some credibility are those set after the first three games, when it will be more clear how each team's current version is performing.
Giving flecks record against Iowa is a better argument for Iowa than saying Iowa “almost” won last year

Since some of the other games have been close you could argue the gophers almost won in 2022, 2021, 2019, 2017


You kind of do that. Iowa almost winning last year is a horrible argument though considering the counter argument is that the gopher did win
 





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