Burns's summary:
Minnesota and Iowa aren't all that different in 2022, especially since the page turned to October. Both teams lost their first three games of October, and two of them were ranked losses in both cases. Since that three-game skid, both teams are now on three-game winning streaks heading into battle for the Floyd of Rosedale. It's the stat you'll read again and again for the next week, and that's that PJ Fleck is currently 0-5 in his time against Kirk Ferentz and Iowa. And this year, the Gophers get Iowa at home on Senior Day.
It's comical to look at how Iowa beat Wisconsin today, as it's incredibly Kirk Ferentz-esque.
- They blocked a Badger punt, and had a 17-yard touchdown drive off of it.
- An interception returned for a touchdown
- Iowa special teams get a 41-yard punt return and score a touchdown 18 yards later
They scored 24 points and only had 146 total yards on offense. It's incredible how Iowa's special teams and defense continue to carry the offense, but it happens every year and seemingly every game.
The Iowa offense is not good. They haven't been all season, but if you give their defense and special teams opportunities to make plays, they're going to make them. If you just don't shoot yourself in the foot against Iowa, that's how the Hawkeyes lose games. If you give them the ball in plus territory, as inept as they are as an offense, they can still convert.
But if PJ Fleck's going to get the monkey off his back, it will come down to Minnesota's passing offense. If the Gophers can move the ball at all with some explosive plays, and whoever the quarterback is doesn't give the ball away multiple times, they will have a great shot. If it's another day where Iowa wins the turnover battle and is gifted the ball in great field position, the streak with continue.
With the emotion of Senior Day at Huntington Bank Stadium, and technically both schools are alive in the Big Ten West, Minneapolis should have a great atmosphere on Saturday.