IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Gophers wore white helmets, white jerseys and white pants for Iowa’s black out-themed game at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday.
A white flag would have been a fitting accessory.
Minnesota couldn’t scream for mercy as the Hawkeyes sprinted out to a 31-0 lead early in the second quarter. The damage was done in Iowa’s runaway 41-3 win at Kinnick Stadium.
The Hawkeyes (6-2, 4-1) dominated the Gophers (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) in all three phases of the game. “Anything that could go wrong did go wrong on offense, defense and special teams,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said to KFAN at halftime.
On the opening drive, Iowa marched down the field in nine plays and scored a rushing touchdown; it added a field goal on its second drive. Then Hawkeyes defensive back Zach Lutmer intercepted Drake Lindsey and returned it 34 yards for a 17-0 lead though the first quarter.
After that whiplash start, Fleck tried to regroup his team during the quarter break, huddling up not only the defense that was on the field, but his offense and special teams players along the sideline. It didn’t work.
On the ensuring third-and-3, Iowa running back Kamari Moulton picked up three yards. Then quarterback Mark Gronowski threw his first touchdown pass in Big Ten play, a 29-yard connection to Reece Vander Zee and past former Iowa and current Minnesota cornerback John Nestor.
To make it a trifecta, the Hawkeyes’ special teams contributed to the blowout as star returner Kaden Wetjen took a punt 50 yards to the end zone.
The Gophers were an 8-point underdog in their attempt to win consecutive games in Iowa City for the first time since 1979 and 1981, but the 12-10 win in 2023 stands alone. Minnesota has lost 10 of 11 games in the series since 2014.
With a third-quarter field goal, Iowa scored 34 unanswered points to start Saturday’s game. Combined with 24 straight points to end a 31-14 win in Minneapolis last year, the Hawkeyes scored 58 consecutive in the rivalry.
Minnesota staved off a shutout with Brady Denaburg’s 34-yard field goal at the end of third quarter.
Exacerbating Saturday’s loss, Gophers top tailback Darius Taylor exited the game with an apparent injury during the first half. He had one carry for one yard on the first play of the game and, while he played beyond that, he was ruled out by halftime.
Minnesota was unable to establish the run and then needed to abandon it. Making matters worse, Lindsey threw three interceptions.
His third pick ended in a touchdown run from Iowa backup quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski to make it 41-3 with five minutes left.
As the blowout was prolonged in the fourth quarter, the black out crowd turned gray as fans left, leaving more and more of the stands exposed.
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