BleedGopher
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per ESPN:
One of college's football finest rivalry trophies will be handed out Saturday afternoon. Iowa and Minnesota battle for a bronzed pig named Floyd of Rosedale. The trophy, though, isn't the only thing that makes the game in Minneapolis one of the more intriguing Big Ten matchups of the weekend.
The Hawkeyes have brought Floyd home to Iowa in three of the past four years. Losing him this Saturday (12 p.m., ESPN2) wouldn't kill the team's chances to repeat as West Division champs, but it sure feels like a dividing-line type of contest for both programs. The winner can keep its name in the ring with Nebraska and Wisconsin in the West. The perception of the loser will be relegated to the also-rans.
"At this point, there's only one course of action," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said this week. "And that's to push forward."
Pushing anyone has been a challenge this season for a team that is normally strong in the trenches. Iowa, which ranks 87th nationally in rushing defense, has allowed an average of 210 yards on the ground in its past three games. Minnesota's young running backs, Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith, could present a big challenge to Ferentz's defense.
http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/pos...loyd-of-rosedale-close-to-a-must-win-for-iowa
Go Gophers!!
One of college's football finest rivalry trophies will be handed out Saturday afternoon. Iowa and Minnesota battle for a bronzed pig named Floyd of Rosedale. The trophy, though, isn't the only thing that makes the game in Minneapolis one of the more intriguing Big Ten matchups of the weekend.
The Hawkeyes have brought Floyd home to Iowa in three of the past four years. Losing him this Saturday (12 p.m., ESPN2) wouldn't kill the team's chances to repeat as West Division champs, but it sure feels like a dividing-line type of contest for both programs. The winner can keep its name in the ring with Nebraska and Wisconsin in the West. The perception of the loser will be relegated to the also-rans.
"At this point, there's only one course of action," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said this week. "And that's to push forward."
Pushing anyone has been a challenge this season for a team that is normally strong in the trenches. Iowa, which ranks 87th nationally in rushing defense, has allowed an average of 210 yards on the ground in its past three games. Minnesota's young running backs, Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith, could present a big challenge to Ferentz's defense.
http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/pos...loyd-of-rosedale-close-to-a-must-win-for-iowa
Go Gophers!!