Iowa at Minnesota - It's going to be fun!

[WorkingMyTailOff]

This is going to be a fun week with lots of shots taking at Iowa, Iowans, and the Hawkeyes. As far as the game goes, what are the keys to winning. Where do the Gophers have an advantage?

The Hawkeye OLine is good with Brandon Scherff and Austin Blythe and frankly they handled the Gophers the past two years. Can this year be different? Can Botticelli, Cockran, Amafuela, and Richardson hold their lanes so the linebackers can stuff Weisman?

On the other side will Epping, Olson, and Campion play like they can and handle Davis, Ott, and Trinca Pasat. It should be a matchup of strength on strength.

 

[PapaHawk21]

I'm looking forward to the game. From an Iowa perspective, this is what I would recommend for Minnesota:

Run the football to the edge. The Hawkeyes have struggled mightily to contain runners on the edge. That will open up passing lines and runs between the tackles.


Defensively, Minnesota needs to win on 1st down against Iowa. The Hawkeyes thrive on long drives and staying on schedule.

Iowa does not punt well or return punts well. Field position could could be decisive and I think Minnesota has a clear advantage there.

 

[e.bigelow]

We need to limit turnover's, as that was what ultimately doomed us vs. Ill., among a number of other things. I think it is going to be a tight game that, like papahawk21 said, could be decided with field position. Anything can happen in this game as I have wittenessed 55-0 cry and our 3-9 year upsets. Looking forward to a good game!

 

[AuEGO4]

I'm looking forward to the game. From an Iowa perspective, this is what I would recommend for Minnesota:

Run the football to the edge. The Hawkeyes have struggled mightily to contain runners on the edge. That will open up passing lines and runs between the tackles.


Defensively, Minnesota needs to win on 1st down against Iowa. The Hawkeyes thrive on long drives and staying on schedule.

Iowa does not punt well or return punts well. Field position could could be decisive and I think Minnesota has a clear advantage there.

Will this be Berkley's breakout game? I sure hope so.

 

[FatNTired]

Will this be Berkley's breakout game? I sure hope so.

I think he's the perfect candidate to gash the Iowa defense. Just salt in the wound for all of us Hawkeyes who hoped he'd wear black and gold.

 

[Torbee]

Hawk fan checking in here.

Iowa has been pretty Jekyll and Hyde on defense - giving up huge chunks of rushing yards to Indiana and Maryland, but really holding NW in check. I like to think that Minnesota being fairly one dimensional (Leidner is an OK throwing QB, but doesn't really spark fear) should play into Iowa's plans, but as the other Hawk fan said, if you can turn the edge, you can get big chunks (unusual for most Iowa teams).

On offesne, Iowa appears (finally!) to be moving away from the horizontal passing attack and getting the ball downfield. If you can pressure Rudock, you can rattle him into a bad day. If Iowa blocks you up, he can kill you. Again, kind of Jekyll and Hyde.

Wish I could be more definitive, but the 2014 Iowa Hawkeyes are pretty bipolar!

 

[Go Gophers Rah]

I have a hard time figuring out how good Iowa might or might not be. A big part of that is the question of "who have they played?"

They have yet to play anyone that is even receiving a mention in the AP or coaches poll.

Here are the Sagarin Ratings of their opponents:

#40 Maryland - 7 point road loss
#61 Iowa State - 3 point home loss
#69 Pitt - 4 point road win
#71 Northwestern - 41 point home win
#77 Northern Iowa - 8 point home win
#80 Indiana - 16 point home win
#81 Purdue - 14 point road win
#103 Ball Stete - 4 point home win

I realize that the Gophers schedule hasn't been much harder. Aside from the beating we took versus TCU, our toughest opponent has been Michigan (#70 according to Sagarin)

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

I'm looking forward to the game. From an Iowa perspective, this is what I would recommend for Minnesota:

Run the football to the edge. The Hawkeyes have struggled mightily to contain runners on the edge. That will open up passing lines and runs between the tackles.


Defensively, Minnesota needs to win on 1st down against Iowa. The Hawkeyes thrive on long drives and staying on schedule.

Weird because I would recommend the exact same thing on how to beat Minnesota.

 

[Dr.Don]

WHO HATES IOWA???

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

Hawk fan checking in here.

Iowa has been pretty Jekyll and Hyde on defense - giving up huge chunks of rushing yards to Indiana and Maryland, but really holding NW in check. I like to think that Minnesota being fairly one dimensional (Leidner is an OK throwing QB, but doesn't really spark fear) should play into Iowa's plans, but as the other Hawk fan said, if you can turn the edge, you can get big chunks (unusual for most Iowa teams).

On offesne, Iowa appears (finally!) to be moving away from the horizontal passing attack and getting the ball downfield. If you can pressure Rudock, you can rattle him into a bad day. If Iowa blocks you up, he can kill you. Again, kind of Jekyll and Hyde.

Wish I could be more definitive, but the 2014 Iowa Hawkeyes are pretty bipolar!

This sums up Leidners passing game to this point.

 

[Dr.Don]

This sums up Leidners passing game to this point.

Perfect description for GopherHolers!

 

[PapaHawk21]

I have a hard time figuring out how good Iowa might or might not be. A big part of that is the question of "who have they played?"

They have yet to play anyone that is even receiving a mention in the AP or coaches poll.

Here are the Sagarin Ratings of their opponents:

#40 Maryland - 7 point road loss
#61 Iowa State - 3 point home loss
#69 Pitt - 4 point road win
#71 Northwestern - 41 point home win
#77 Northern Iowa - 8 point home win
#80 Indiana - 16 point home win
#81 Purdue - 14 point road win
#103 Ball Stete - 4 point home win

I realize that the Gophers schedule hasn't been much harder. Aside from the beating we took versus TCU, our toughest opponent has been Michigan (#70 according to Sagarin)

Despite the loss to Maryland a few weeks ago, Iowa is markedly improved from where they were in the first few weeks of the season. Mark Weisman is playing well but hasn't had to carry the ball nearly as much as a year ago. RS Freshman Akrum Wadley won Big Ten Freshmen of the Week after his stellar performance against a beat up Northwestern Team.

If Weisman and Wadley can run effectively behind Iowa's offensive line, the Gophers may be in big trouble. Rudock is an efficient QB but is certainly prone to big mistakes.

We will learn a lot about both teams on Saturday.

 

[SoMplsHawkI]

I have a hard time figuring out how good Iowa might or might not be. A big part of that is the question of "who have they played?"

They have yet to play anyone that is even receiving a mention in the AP or coaches poll.

Here are the Sagarin Ratings of their opponents:

#40 Maryland - 7 point road loss
#61 Iowa State - 3 point home loss
#69 Pitt - 4 point road win
#71 Northwestern - 41 point home win
#77 Northern Iowa - 8 point home win
#80 Indiana - 16 point home win
#81 Purdue - 14 point road win
#103 Ball State - 4 point home win

I realize that the Gophers schedule hasn't been much harder. Aside from the beating we took versus TCU, our toughest opponent has been Michigan (#70 according to Sagarin)

For the record it looks like Sagarin has your schedule rated 81 and ours at 62.

 

[Torbee]

For the record it looks like Sagarin has your schedule rated 81 and ours at 62.

Yup.

This should be the first of a month-long series of "contender or pretender" matchups in the Big 10 West. Exciting indeed!

When Ferentz has had his best teams, they rise up and play their best football in November. Last Saturday was a good start in that direction. And he has indicated that they purposely limited Weisman's touches and left some parts of the playbook for later (personally, that pisses me off because I HATE losing to Iowa State and think Iowa could have piss-pounded them on the ground, but KF treates non-con like an NFL pre-season).

Minnesota has had a propensity in the past to weaken later in the season. Do you Gopher fans expect this season to buck that trend? And if so, what are some of the reasons why?

 

[SoMplsHawkI]

WHO HATES IOWA???

Apparently not Norwood Teague:
“I don’t like the cheer, at all,” Teague said. “I’ve talked to Gary [Iowa athletics director Gary Barta] about that. I don’t like it a bit and, hopefully, we can try to steer away from it.
I think for some kids it’s funny and it takes on a life of its own. I don’t like it.”

 

[tikited]

Will this be Berkley's breakout game? I sure hope so.

I wish it would happen, but I wouldn't count on him playing much.

 

[MNGoldenGophers1]

Despite the loss to Maryland a few weeks ago, Iowa is markedly improved from where they were in the first few weeks of the season. Mark Weisman is playing well but hasn't had to carry the ball nearly as much as a year ago. RS Freshman Akrum Wadley won Big Ten Freshmen of the Week after his stellar performance against a beat up Northwestern Team.

If Weisman and Wadley can run effectively behind Iowa's offensive line, the Gophers may be in big trouble. Rudock is an efficient QB but is certainly prone to big mistakes.

We will learn a lot about both teams on Saturday.

It will require a team effort but Steven Richardson and Damien Wilson will be key in this battle. If Richardson can plug up the middle and Wilson get off his blocks for some big hits on Weisman and Wadley, we may slow them down enough to win this one. Otherwise, we could be in for a long day if Weisman in particular rips off 6 or 7-yard runs all day.

 

[GopherRock]

Woody might not like the cheer much, but I don't see it going away anytime soon. All you have to do is walk down the stairs on the way out of a game to feel the hate for Iowa.

 

[homermn]

Hawk fan checking in here.

Iowa has been pretty Jekyll and Hyde on defense - giving up huge chunks of rushing yards to Indiana and Maryland, but really holding NW in check. I like to think that Minnesota being fairly one dimensional (Leidner is an OK throwing QB, but doesn't really spark fear) should play into Iowa's plans, but as the other Hawk fan said, if you can turn the edge, you can get big chunks (unusual for most Iowa teams).

On offesne, Iowa appears (finally!) to be moving away from the horizontal passing attack and getting the ball downfield. If you can pressure Rudock, you can rattle him into a bad day. If Iowa blocks you up, he can kill you. Again, kind of Jekyll and Hyde.

Wish I could be more definitive, but the 2014 Iowa Hawkeyes are pretty bipolar!

I think this is as evenly matched Gopher Iowa game going into Saturday then in the last decade. These are good points and the one thing I often see as overlooked is our Special Teams, they are easily Top 20 in the country and that's a modest assessment. The game could come down to forcing Iowa to play the entire field and if MN Defense can't step up, Iowa has a way to get it rolling as we saw against NW.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Woody might not like the cheer much, but I don't see it going away anytime soon. All you have to do is walk down the stairs on the way out of a game to feel the hate for Iowa.

I would expect the Who Hates Iowa chants to be some of the loudest ever this year. If the athletic department really wants to make sure it happens they will remind people about a day before the game that they don't support that particular cheer.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

I don't think we really know Torbee, but the young Leidner has shown that he can pass the ball okay at times as long as he has protection. He has to get better at getting rid of the ball when his receivers are covered.

I heard that KF had limited Weisman and it looks like the Hawkeyes are starting to play well at the right time. I am not sure if the B1G scheduling folks did this on purpose, but they have set up a delicious last 4 weeks of the season.

I think the key to the Gophers finishing strong is offensive line play. There is a good amount of experience and at times they have put it all together. I have a little concern that the Gophers have not been spreading the load at RB. Cobb has been such a work horse, but can he keep it up at the same level? He should be fresh for this game and with some runs to the outside with Jones or Edwards, the middle might soften up.

What's the status of the Iowa offensive Line. They looked very good against NW.

 

[homermn]

Minnesota has had a propensity in the past to weaken later in the season. Do you Gopher fans expect this season to buck that trend? And if so, what are some of the reasons why?

If you look at 2013 we were 2-2 and had strong games against Wisconsin and Michigan State; I fully expect the same this year. Very tough schedule, but I see the Gophers playing all four quarters and not making any game easy.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Apparently not Norwood Teague:
“I don’t like the cheer, at all,” Teague said. “I’ve talked to Gary [Iowa athletics director Gary Barta] about that. I don’t like it a bit and, hopefully, we can try to steer away from it.
I think for some kids it’s funny and it takes on a life of its own. I don’t like it.”

We better stop then. He probably doesn't appreciate the "**** the Badgers" cheer either.

 

[killme]

Minnesota has had a propensity in the past to weaken later in the season. Do you Gopher fans expect this season to buck that trend? And if so, what are some of the reasons why?

The bye weeks broke the season up nicely. Eric Klein is a veteran strength coach, who is extremely bright and passionate, and has been implementing state of the art programs, so I expect this Gopher squad is better conditioned than in years past. Thirdly, the full-time nutritionist will pay off in situations exactly like this. And, one more thing, JK and staff have been doing this a long time and have a good feel for when to push and when to back off.

 

[MNVCGUY]

If you look at 2013 we were 2-2 and had strong games against Wisconsin and Michigan State; I fully expect the same this year. Very tough schedule, but I see the Gophers playing all four quarters and not making any game easy.

My biggest concern down the stretch is the young D-Line and whether those guys can hold up. The true freshmen have never played this many games in a season and on top of that they are going against players that are bigger and stronger then them in many cases. Add to that, that 3 of our remaining opponents are in the top 4 in rushing offense in the conference which would lead me to believe they have strong offensive lines. The rest of our schedule features teams that want to line it up and run it at you, that wasn't the case as much with teams like Northwestern, Illinois, and Purdue.

 

[Torbee]

I don't think we really know Torbee, but the young Leidner has shown that he can pass the ball okay at times as long as he has protection. He has to get better at getting rid of the ball when his receivers are covered.

I heard that KF had limited Weisman and it looks like the Hawkeyes are starting to play well at the right time. I am not sure if the B1G scheduling folks did this on purpose, but they have set up a delicious last 4 weeks of the season.

I think the key to the Gophers finishing strong is offensive line play. There is a good amount of experience and at times they have put it all together. I have a little concern that the Gophers have not been spreading the load at RB. Cobb has been such a work horse, but can he keep it up at the same level? He should be fresh for this game and with some runs to the outside with Jones or Edwards, the middle might soften up.

What's the status of the Iowa offensive Line. They looked very good against NW.

Iowa may actually have gotten a little "addition by subtraction" when one of the Guards (Walsh or Welsh, I can't keep them straight) got injured a couple weeks ago. They brought in a 5th-year senior, Gaul, to play on the line, and put him at center, putting the previous starting center at guard, and the o-line play immediately improved. The biggest boost, though, in the NW game, was the return of fullback Macon Plewa. He had several key blocks on about 10 big runs, including all three of Weisman's touchdowns. Iowa's run game is so much better when it has a solid fullback.

 

[Rescooter]

I would expect the Who Hates Iowa chants to be some of the loudest ever this year. If the athletic department really wants to make sure it happens they will remind people about a day before the game that they don't support that particular cheer.

Also, to really up the ante on the Hate: have the Case IH guy telling everyone to display good sportsmanship, be positive and cheer loudly for your own team.

 

[maliksealy]

WHO HATES IOWA?? SEE YOU IN MINNEAPOLIS

 

[FatNTired]

Also, to really up the ante on the Hate: have the Case IH guy telling everyone to display good sportsmanship, be positive and cheer loudly for your own team.

Goodness, you guys have the Case IH guy too?! I thought that advertising was exclusive to Kinnick.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

My biggest concern down the stretch is the young D-Line and whether those guys can hold up. The true freshmen have never played this many games in a season and on top of that they are going against players that are bigger and stronger then them in many cases. Add to that, that 3 of our remaining opponents are in the top 4 in rushing offense in the conference which would lead me to believe they have strong offensive lines. The rest of our schedule features teams that want to line it up and run it at you, that wasn't the case as much with teams like Northwestern, Illinois, and Purdue.

Not sure where you get that? Elmore's team played 13 games last year. Stelter's squad played in the 2012 Prep Bowl (13 or 14 games) and Richardson was on a State Championship team in Illinois.