The Battle for Floyd

[Stan The Caddy]

Let's talk about the actual game...

I for one am looking forward to the matchup on Saturday. Iowa losing on the road at Northwestern and struggling to beat Indiana on the road gives me hope that we can win this game, despite being 15.5 point underdogs. Iowa's season has been interesting. They are losing all the close games they won last year, except for IU. Either way, I want a competitive game. That would be fun. Even though it was 12-0 last year, you never got the feeling we were going to score...even when we had it in the red zone.

Iowa's strength is their defensive line. I do not think Minnesota can win with the pound, pound play-action game plan. We are going to have to mix it up and keep Iowa off balance. IU is a pass first team. NU is a spread, dink and dunk team. I have enough trust that our OL has improved to the point where we can go 3 receivers and attempt to spread Iowa out a bit. Here is to hoping that this is Adam Weber's 2009 Michigan State game revisited.

On offense Iowa over the years has killed the Gophers with the skinny post. Time and time again they have found a way to split our safeties and go to the post or skinny post for huge chuncks of yardage. The image of Ed Hinkle scoring 3 or 4 td's on senior day in Iowa City is still burned in my mind. McNutt and Johnson-Koulinous are good receivers. We will have to hope that "bad Ricky" shows up for a portion, if not all, of the game. I think we will need a couple of overthrows by Stanzi to help the cause. I have not checked, but it would seem that Adam Robinson suffered another concussion last week and is out for this game.

I will be curious to see how Iowa responds to back-to-back losses. I will be curious to see how many Iowa fans are actually at the stadium. I really think the 1st quarter is essential to how this game goes. If Minnesota can somehow take and sustain an early lead, that will really inspire / fire-up the crowd.

OK...it is Wednesday, I need to settle down because I am already fired up for 2:30pm on Saturday. Should be a great time! No prediction yet.

Travel safe and have a great Thanksgiving everybody!

 

[Al_4_State]

You know there's going to be at least 10,000 of those cock roaches that show up. There are guys from my home town (50 miles SW of Rochester) that have seen Iowa play in the Metrodome more than they've seen Iowa play in Kinnick.

 

[Rescooter]

Expect Horton to "throw the Kitchen Sink" at them. It's his last game as coach, he said he's a gambler, the free for all game plan has worked for him in the past, and he's got nothing to lose.

Even if we do not win, it will be a very entertaining ball game anyway. Remember, he's preparing his resume for his next gig. Taking a team that was quite literally on the rocks and closing out with two wins would be huge.

It's great to see him having fun out there! It's even more fun seeing how the team has responded to him.

Enough is enough....get the Pig.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I'm guessing we will see a fake punt or FG by the Gophers (assuming we will have to punt at some point in the game ).

 

[corcoran1]

Teams that are based on tough defense tend to not go up and down with losses, as much. The reason I think we will struggle is that Iowa just does not help you beat them very often, you have to do it yourself. We just have not been able to play sound football for sixty minutes which is what beating them requires.

 

[PapaHawk21]

Teams that are based on tough defense tend to not go up and down with losses, as much. The reason I think we will struggle is that Iowa just does not help you beat them very often, you have to do it yourself. We just have not been able to play sound football for sixty minutes which is what beating them requires.

If Minnesota has the ball and a chance to win in the final minutes of the 4th quarter it will probably happen. The Hawks have played atrocious 4th quarter football in close games this season. Iowa has a veteran team with more developed talent than Minnesota. However, in a rivalry, anything can happen. I see Minnesota struggling to cover DJK and McNutt across the middle of the field on Saturday. Yes, Adam Robinson will be out with an injury but freshman RB Marcus Coker has played well this season and will challenge Minnesota's front seven.

Honest question, Do you all think Minnesota can establish a running game against Iowa either with designed runs with Weber/Gray or simply pounding it out with Eskrige, Bennett, Kirkwood or whoever?

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Teams that are based on tough defense tend to not go up and down with losses, as much. The reason I think we will struggle is that Iowa just does not help you beat them very often, you have to do it yourself. We just have not been able to play sound football for sixty minutes which is what beating them requires.

Iowa has beat itself this year however with special teams meltdowns. See the Arizona game at the beginning of the year.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

If Minnesota has the ball and a chance to win in the final minutes of the 4th quarter it will probably happen. The Hawks have played atrocious 4th quarter football in close games this season. Iowa has a veteran team with more developed talent than Minnesota. However, in a rivalry, anything can happen. I see Minnesota struggling to cover DJK and McNutt across the middle of the field on Saturday. Yes, Adam Robinson will be out with an injury but freshman RB Marcus Coker has played well this season and will challenge Minnesota's front seven.

Honest question, Do you all think Minnesota can establish a running game against Iowa either with designed runs with Weber/Gray or simply pounding it out with Eskrige, Bennett, Kirkwood or whoever?

Papa-

No, Minnesota is going to have difficult establishing a running game with Eskridge and Bennett (Kirkwood is not playing). If Gray takes some snaps at QB, they are going to have to do more with him than just running him up the middle because Iowa will shut that down too. Minnesota is going to have to pass successfully on running downs early to soften the Iowa defense up. Minnesota is going to have to run out of 3 receiver sets, not 2 TE's and a fullback, because I do not think Minnesota has the ability to line up and stuff it down Iowa's throat.

I am more concerned about Iowa hitting big plays in the passing game early.

 

[Anderson8284]

It's kind've quiet down here in Des Moines. A lot of the air went out of the Hawkeye fans after consecutive losses to Northwestern and to Ohio State. They really should have lost to Indiana also.

Adam Robinson is definitely out. He was their best RB, is out with his 2nd concussion of the year. Marcus Coker is a capable replacement, I believe Brewster recruited him fairly hard.

Ricky Stanzi the QB is like the little girl with the curls. He can lead the team downfield quickly, make big plays, thread the needle with accurate passes, and then......

Throw pick sixes. Repeatedly. Or, "ad infinitum" as my Hawk fan father-in-law would say. He started out really good this year, but lately there has been more and more of the "bad Ricky" which will be good for us (hopefully!)

It will be very difficult for us to run on the Hawks. However, we should be able to spring McKnight and Gray on some plays. If we get the bad Ricky, Mr. Floyd could make a move to Mpls! Here's hoping.....

But I would at least like to SCORE on those birds this year!

 

[PapaHawk21]

It's kind've quiet down here in Des Moines. A lot of the air went out of the Hawkeye fans after consecutive losses to Northwestern and to Ohio State. They really should have lost to Indiana also.

Adam Robinson is definitely out. He was their best RB, is out with his 2nd concussion of the year. Marcus Coker is a capable replacement, I believe Brewster recruited him fairly hard.

Ricky Stanzi the QB is like the little girl with the curls. He can lead the team downfield quickly, make big plays, thread the needle with accurate passes, and then......

Throw pick sixes. Repeatedly. Or, "ad infinitum" as my Hawk fan father-in-law would say. He started out really good this year, but lately there has been more and more of the "bad Ricky" which will be good for us (hopefully!)

It will be very difficult for us to run on the Hawks. However, we should be able to spring McKnight and Gray on some plays. If we get the bad Ricky, Mr. Floyd could make a move to Mpls! Here's hoping.....

But I would at least like to SCORE on those birds this year!

Stanzi has thrown 1 pick six this season and it was clearly not his fault (see McNutt/Arizona game). Ricky Stanzi has 23 TD and 4 INT this season and yes he has overthrown some passes but otherwise he has had a great season. Another Iowa special teams meltdown could facilitate a Gopher victory but I think Iowa has more developed talent than Minnesota and should honestly win this game in convincing fashion. Considering how the season has transpired, it will likely be a tight game but the Hawks will win by a score or two in the end. Coker will likely run for 100+ on Minnesota, he is a stud considering he is only a freshman.

 

[alpinegopher]

If Minnesota has the ball and a chance to win in the final minutes of the 4th quarter it will probably happen. The Hawks have played atrocious 4th quarter football in close games this season. Iowa has a veteran team with more developed talent than Minnesota. However, in a rivalry, anything can happen. I see Minnesota struggling to cover DJK and McNutt across the middle of the field on Saturday. Yes, Adam Robinson will be out with an injury but freshman RB Marcus Coker has played well this season and will challenge Minnesota's front seven.

Honest question, Do you all think Minnesota can establish a running game against Iowa either with designed runs with Weber/Gray or simply pounding it out with Eskrige, Bennett, Kirkwood or whoever?

I would like to see this Whoever guy run, he might be our best.

I don't think Horton is the gambler he says he is.

Maybe Ellestad can knock a frozen football through the uprights to end this season.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

I think in a traditional set on most offensive plays we will have a difficult time just lining up and running the ball with Eskridge. However, if the game is close and we mix it up (some draws, screens, runs with Gray, etc.) and it's a close game I could see MN running the ball a little bit. We weren't atrocious at running the ball against Wisconsin or Illinois, so I would expect something like that.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Well, the Gophers did something I did not think would be possible in order to win the game. The Gopher offensive line OWNED the Hawkeye defensive line. That is an absolute shocker. The #6 rush defense in the country and we run for over 200 yards? Weber was barely touched all afternoon? I am still simply amazed at now well the offensive line played yesterday.

 

[johnnybb]

If Minnesota has the ball and a chance to win in the final minutes of the 4th quarter it will probably happen. The Hawks have played atrocious 4th quarter football in close games this season.

I think the only practical question here is: What are next weeks winning lottery numbers?