Least talked about key play

[USTGopher]

I'm not sure about anyone else but one of the most important plays in the game was the run by Gray on 3rd and 6 with about a minute left in the game for a 1st down. Iowa may have only had 15-20 seconds left if we didn't get the 1st but after being crushed consistently on crazy plays when the other teams score in the waning seconds it was comforting to be able to watch them perform the victory formation instead of watching Vandenburg throw it up for grabs and get in field goal position somehow.

 

[KillKoolAid]

I see your Gray rush for the 1st down, and raise you with McKnight's 3rd and 7 catch for a first down setting up Gray's eventual TD for the lead. Wrestling the ball away from Micah Hyde to get us down to the 2 yard line (pre false-start penalty) was huge in keeping us out of a 4th and 7 from the 10 yard line.

 

[Okie]

That was the play where I finally celebrated after it. I don't think many people realized that we needed to get a first down once Iowa turned it over on downs.

 

[josh087]

I see your Gray rush for the 1st down, and raise you with McKnight's 3rd and 7 catch for a first down setting up Gray's eventual TD for the lead. Wrestling the ball away from Micah Hyde to get us down to the 2 yard line (pre false-start penalty) was huge in keeping us out of a 4th and 7 from the 10 yard line.

My thoughts exactly. There were only 2 or 3 receivers in the BIG who could have caught the football in that situation when the pass left the QBs hand.

 

[IDFM]

That was the most aggressive game that McKnight has played all year. He has not been that intense at all. His stat sheet did not show it but he did play very well. He wanted to ball.

 

[MaxyJR1]

I thought the catch by Green is the most overlooked play of the game. It set up a shorter play for Gray to score the winning touchdown. At the end of the day there were a ton of big plays in that game.

 

[Husker in Gopherland]

+1. Several huge plays. Me personally, I thought the 4th-and-1 conversion early in the 4th quarter was the most overlooked play. They're down 21-10 and if they don't convert, Iowa gets the ball back at Minnesota's 42-yard line. Instead, they convert and score a TD 5 plays later. It was only 1 yard, but I've seen several 4th and short attempts by the Gophers the past 2 seasons that they didn't convert.

I thought the catch by Green is the most overlooked play of the game. It set up a shorter play for Gray to score the winning touchdown. At the end of the day there were a ton of big plays in that game.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

I'm not sure about anyone else but one of the most important plays in the game was the run by Gray on 3rd and 6 with about a minute left in the game for a 1st down. Iowa may have only had 15-20 seconds left if we didn't get the 1st but after being crushed consistently on crazy plays when the other teams score in the waning seconds it was comforting to be able to watch them perform the victory formation instead of watching Vandenburg throw it up for grabs and get in field goal position somehow.

That is 2 years in a row where Gray ran for the clinching 1st down. At least this year we didn't have to sweat out a measurement.

 

[Spin Your Head]

How about putting in an ice-cold Shortell in his first play of the game for a 2-point conversion? Guarantee this would have been one of the first things people would have questioned had we lost this one. Not questioning going for the 2 points, but I'll keep Gray in there over having Shortell throw his first play of the game regardless of the set play for Shortell's skill set.

 

[zambam]

How about putting in an ice-cold Shortell in his first play of the game for a 2-point conversion? Guarantee this would have been one of the first things people would have questioned had we lost this one. Not questioning going for the 2 points, but I'll keep Gray in there over having Shortell throw his first play of the game regardless of the set play for Shortell's skill set.

The play worked to perfection, McKnight was open. I'd say shortell completes that most of the time.

 

[FKRitter11]

2-pt conversion miss was a positive

If we make the two-point conversion, at least one play in game is completely different. We are definitely kicking a game-tying field goal instead of running in the winning touchdown on 4th down, and I assume Coach Kill would have decided it too risky a move to try an onside kick with 9 minutes or so left only down a field goal.

Maybe in all his wisdom Kill intentionally put Shortell into that situation, knowing full-well that a warm QB would have completed the pass and unleashed a completely different conclusion to the game? (I don't mean that last statement, btw)

 

[mnsports1]

Maybe not a "super" important play, but one that set the tone for me was on Iowa's first (I think) possession Hageman tackled the WR on 3rd down, keeping the ball on the hash that led to a missed FG. I was pretty pumped at that point.

Others may have rallied to eventually make the tackle, but Hageman did, and the result was good!!!