Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck compared the Iowa Hawkeyes to a boa constrictor before the Battle for Floyd of Rosedale on Saturday.
“They can suffocate you,” he said on KFXN-FM. It was a prophetic comment.
Minnesota’s asphyxiation started right away in the third quarter, was slow and steady and the U’s time of death came well before the final whistle.
The Gophers had the worst run defense in the Big Ten last season and the Hawkeyes destroyed them on the ground Saturday. Kaleb Johnson, who led the nation in rushing yards going into the game, added 206 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. He averaged 9.8 yards per carry.
The Hawkeyes scored 24 unanswered points to recapture the rivalry trophy with a 31-14 win at Huntington Bank Stadium.
Gophers (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) have not won consecutive Floyd games since 2010-11. The Hawkeyes (2-1, 1-0 Big Ten) have won 10 of the last 12 in the series.
The Gophers had earned its halftime break. Minnesota’s offense came alive with two touchdowns on the final two drives; its defense allowed Iowa only 107 total yards; and the U was feeling good up 14-7.
They didn’t show up for the second half. And fans in the sellout crowd were leaving by the start of the fourth quarter.
Iowa stacked chunk plays to go 67 yards over five plays and score a game-tying touchdown in just over two minutes of this second half. Johnson went untouched on a 15-yard rush to tie the game.
Then Johnson broke tackles at the line up scrimmage on a 40-yard touchdown run to make it 21-14. Iowa was held to 107 yards in the first half and had 127 yards in the opening two drives of third quarter.
A plethora of punts filled the first half — four apiece between the teams across the first 10 possessions. Then the Gophers found success with two touchdown passes from Brosmer on their last two drives.
Tight end Jameson Geers snagged the first TD in the back of the end zone to tie the game, 7-7, with four minutes left in the second quarter.
Then Elijah Spencer caught a swing pass, was spun around but kept his feet and dove into the end zone as Minnesota took a 14-7 lead in the final minute of the half.
Brosmer’s start wasn’t a strong. On the second possession, he threw behind Darius Taylor and Hawkeyes star linebacker Jay Higgins intercepted it.
Then Gophers defensive backs Jack Henderson and Za’Quan Bryan lost contain as Johnson broke a 23-yard run. Johnson scored on the next play to end a Gophers shutout streak that stretched more than eight quarters across the Rhode Island and Nevada wins in the previous two weeks.
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