Nate Triplett Hopes to Finish Big Ten Career with Win over Hawkeyes

As the regular season ticks down to one game, senior linebacker Nate Triplett chatted about how he would like to see his final Big Ten contest play out down in Iowa City, as well as what the Minnesota-Iowa rivalry is all about, and what it would be like to finish his regular season career with an upset victory over the Hawkeyes.

Here are Nate Triplett’s thoughts”¦

On his last regular season game as a Gopher, with Floyd of Rosedale on the line”¦

NT: It’s definitely a chance for us to get a trophy, as we haven’t had one for a while. It’s something I’m looking forward to, fighting for the pig. Also, we can definitely improve our bowl status as well, so there’s a lot on our minds and a lot to play for this week.

On the last two meetings vs. Iowa”¦

NT: We haven’t talked about those too much, but at the same time you never forget where you came from, you never forget your past. So I’m sure that will come up this week, and right now we’re just preparing for what they bring to the table.

On whether it’s more difficult to prepare for a team that has had lots of injuries, like Iowa has had”¦

NT: I don’t really see it that way. I see it as they are a system team, and the put in a new guy and they’re going to do the same thing they’ve always done. They’re going to run the ball, especially at us, and try to get us into situations that we don’t want to be in. I see them as being Iowa, and we’re going to prepare for them like we would any other team.

On whether it would be like to get a win vs. Iowa in his final regular season game”¦

NT: I would love it. It would make my career; it would be one of the greatest highlights of my career, and would be awesome to win the pig and bring it back to Minnesota, since we haven’t done that in a long time.

On whether a win vs. Iowa would be a bigger win than in a bowl game”¦

NT: Every game we play in is the most important one, but for now it would be the most important game for me, since it’s my last regular season game, my last Big Ten game, and my last chance to bring back a trophy. And that trophy, especially, is important to this state and this team, so for now this will be the most important one.

On what it’s like to play in a Minnesota-Iowa football game”¦

NT: I think everyone prepares just a little more”¦everyone watches that extra three minutes of film before they have to leave for practice, or does a little bit after practice. I think that shows up on the field, everyone’s a little more prepared and excited to play in this game, just because it’s Iowa.

On whether last season’s 55-0 loss was the most shocking loss of his career”¦

NT: I wouldn’t say I was so much shocked as I was disappointed in the way we played. I’ve kind of put that behind me and said that was last year, and we’re looking forweard to this year, and what we can do this year, because we have another shot.

On how difficult it is to play in Iowa, with the fans as close to the field as they are”¦

NT: You get hassled by fans pretty much everywhere you go, but it’s definitely an experience down in Iowa. It’s really fun playing down there, because it’s a really hostile environment. Their fans aren’t exactly pleasant to us when we’re on the field down there. But I’m really looking forward to it, because it’s fun to play in an environment like that.

On what his perfect ending would be”¦

NT: A win”¦and it doesn’t matter how it comes. We’ve had a few wins this year that haven’t been so pretty, but they’re wins. And now we’re sitting in a place where we’re going to go to a bowl game, and if we can win this one, we can go to a better bowl game. So a win doesn’t matter how it comes, and I’m really preparing for that.

Talk about Nate Triplett and the Gopher football team on the Brew’s Crew message board.