MINNESOTA vs. IOWA

When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Huntington Bank Stadium
TV: NBC
Radio: KFXN-FM, 100.3
Weather: Mostly sunny, 74 degrees, 11 mph south wind
Betting spread: Iowa minus-2.5

Records: Minnesota and Iowa are both 2-1 with a loss to Power 4 Conference opponent. The Gophers fell 19-17 to North Carolina in the season opener on Aug 29. The Hawkeyes dropped its first rivalry game, 20-19 to Iowa State on Sept. 7.

History: This is the earliest calendar date for an Minnesota-Iowa game across the 133-year series that started in 1891. The Gophers snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 12-10 win over the Hawkeyes last season. The U leads the series 63-52-2.

Big question: Can either team’s offense capitalize on cornerback concerns? The availability of the Gophers’ top cover guy, Justin Walley, is up in air after suffering a knee injury against Nevada. The Hawkeyes might be rotating at the spot opposite standout Jermari Harris.

Key matchup: Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson vs. Gophers front seven. Minnesota’s defense struggled to tackle a thicker tailback in North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton in the season opener. Both Hampton and Johnson are the only two rushers nationwide with over 300 yards after contact this season, per Pro Football Focus.

Who has the edge?

Gophers offense vs. Iowa defense: The Hawkeyes have been stout against the run (56 yards per game) and suspect against the pass (211 yards per game). Iowa has been susceptible on deep balls, allowing three completions over 60 yards this season. QB Max Brosmer has completed 69 percent of passes this season, but on throws over 20 yards, he’s 2 of 7 for one touchdown and one interception. OC Greg Harbaugh will want Brosmer to take what Iowa’s defense is giving them, but when, where and how many deep shots Minnesota takes — and hits on — will be a big factor in which team wins. Five attempts might be a target number. … How physical this rivalry game has been at the line of scrimmage has been a theme coming out of Dinkytown this week. It’s hard not to hear that message aimed at the U offensive line, which has struggled to consistently get things going in the run game through three contests. Before Darius Taylor’s 80-yard touchdown vs. Nevada, Minnesota was averaging 2.7 yards per carry in the opening 10-plus quarters of the season. … CB Jermari Harris has set up a no-fly zone. He has the top coverage grade (90.7) at his position in the country, according to PFF. SAF Sebastian Castro is “excellent,” according to Harbaugh. And LB Jay Higgins, who has a team-high 25 tackles, is the fourth-best graded linebacker in the nation (91.0). EDGE: Iowa 

Gophers defense vs. Iowa offense: The Hawkeyes let go of OC Brian Ferentz, the son of head coach Kirk Ferentz, after an anemic year in 2023 and replaced him with Tim Lester. “Some of the window dressing around (the offense) has changed, more condensed formations. It’s been more motions and shifts,” DC Corey Hetherman said. But the Hawkeyes will still want to control line of scrimmage and run the ball. … The 6-foot, 225-pound Johnson has an FBS-best 479 rushing yards this season, with a gaudy 7.9-yard average. The Gophers posted their first consecutive shutouts in 62 years, but missed 22 tackles against the Tar Heels in Week 1 as Hampton put up 129 yards on 30 carries against the U. More than a handful of missed tackles would be a sign of doom for Minnesota. … If Walley can’t play, Za’Quon Bryan will likely get the start. He played early against North Carolina, showing he’s earned a spot on the field. But Walley has been such a big-time player for the U, including an interception in last year’s Floyd game. … Iowa tight ends continue to be a focal point; Luke Lachey and Addison Ostrenga each have nine receptions this season. “Especially in third (down) and medium (distance), the ball goes through those guys,” Hetherman said. The Hawkeyes enjoy using two tight ends in formations, which will mean an important resistence is necessary from LBs Cody Lindenberg and Maverick Baranowski. EDGE: Gophers 

Special teams: Iowa allowed Troy to return a punt 77 yards for a touchdown last week, while the Gophers freshman returner Koi Perich has shown potential to break off a big one. … Gophers DE Anthony Smith blocked a Nevada field goal last week. … K Drew Stevens is 5 for 5 on field goals with a long of 42, while Dragan Kesich is 5 for 9 with a long of 52. EDGE: Gophers 

Prediction: Minnesota will pull off a consecutive wins in the rivalry for the first time since 2010-11. And it can be done without a contentious call after the invalid fair catch penalty shrouded last year’s affair in Iowa City. Gophers, 19-17 

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The injuries incurred by Charlene Wunderlich, a Hugo woman who was beaten to death on Monday, suggest that she was beaten “over the course of several hours, if not over several days,” a Washington County prosecutor said Thursday.

“There was significant violence alleged in this,” assistant Washington County Attorney Wade Kish said during her son Trevor Joseph Wunderlich’s first appearance in Washington County District Court.

Trevor Joseph Wunderlich. (Courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office)

Wunderlich, 45, of Hugo, was charged Thursday with second-degree murder. Washington County District Court Judge Juanita Freeman bail set at $2 million with conditions.

When Freeman asked Wunderlich if he was aware of his rights, he said he was not.

“No. No, I’m not. This is like a complete nightmare for me,” Wunderlich said. “I did not intend for any of this to happen.”

Wunderlich, appearing by video from the Washington County Jail, was wearing a green jail-issued sleeveless suit designed to prevent him from harming himself.

According to the criminal complaint, deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded around 5:55 p.m. Monday to an open 911 line originating from 15939 Ingersoll Ave. Dispatchers could hear noises on the line consistent with an ongoing assault or struggle, the complaint states.

When deputies arrived, they entered the kitchen area of the home and observed Charlene Wunderlich “lying on the floor in obvious distress,” the complaint states. “Seated on a chair directly next to her was her son.”

Deputies attempted to detain Trevor Wunderlich but he ran into the basement of the home and fled out a rear door.

Deputies began to provide care to Charlene Wunderlich, who had “contusions, lacerations and other injuries on her face and head, her arms and legs, and throughout her torso,” the complaint states. “She was conscious for a short period of time and was able to tell officers that it was (her son) who had assaulted her.

Charlene Wunderlich lost consciousness and was transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where she was pronounced dead at 7:37 p.m. Monday, authorities said.

The cause of death was later determined to be multiple blunt force injuries, including multiple rib fractures, a sternal fracture, chest-wall hemorrhage and pulmonary contusions.

An overnight manhunt for Trevor Wunderlich ended when law-enforcement officers received a tip from a neighbor that she had found a man, believed to be Trevor Wunderlich, in a camper on her property.

Trevor Wunderlich fled the scene, but law-enforcement officers found him nearby and took him into custody, the complaint states.

On Thursday, Wunderlich said he would need to be represented by a public defender because he did not have access to any of his money.

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“I have money to hire a private attorney, but I don’t have access to any of my money. That’s the problem,” he said. “I don’t have a way to call them. They haven’t even let me call him yet since I’ve been incarcerated. And you know, Washington County has kind of had it out for me for a long time. We’re just trying to move to the North Shore. … ”

Kristin Johnson, the court-appointed attorney then interrupted Wunderlich, and said: “I would again suggest that you don’t have to say anything. Additionally, I would suggest that you just reserve your bail argument today.”

Charlene Wunderlich and her late husband, William M. “Skip” Wunderlich, ran a dog-kennel business, Bill Wunderlich’s North Oaks Kennels, out of the 35-acre property; the business had previously belonged to Skip Wunderlich’s father. Skip Wunderlich died in 2020.

Trevor Wunderlich said Thursday that he also worked at the business, but that he made “zero dollars now” because the business is “obsolete now.”

“How much money do you have in the bank, sir?” Freeman asked.

“Zero,” he responded.

“All right. And do you own or rent a home?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah. We own,” he said. “Well, I don’t own them. I guess my mom did, so I don’t know who owns them now.”

Wunderlich said he did not own any other homes either and worked full-time at the dog-kennel business. He said his mother had been collecting Social Security for the past “six or seven years.”

“No, I don’t make any money,” he said. “The (business) drained it all from me. We were trying to sell it before we went up north, so I’m drained.”

When Kish told Freeman that the presumptive sentence on the second-degree murder charge is 346 to 480 months, Wunderlich looked visibly surprised.

Minnesota court records show Wunderlich’s criminal history goes back for years. He has open cases, in which he’s charged with domestic assault against his fiancée and violating a domestic assault no contact order, both in April 2023.

Charlene Wunderlich wrote in a Nov. 4, 2020, petition for an order for protection against her son that he screamed and spit at her at least three times a week unless she hid or left, and that he threw things at her. He called her “terrible names,” and “breaks everything in the house,” she wrote.

She checked a box saying she believed she was in immediate danger “because it’s happening for three years now and it’s just escalating,” she wrote. She requested that her son be ordered to attend a domestic abuse program, an alcohol/chemical dependency evaluation and mental health evaluation.

Trevor Wunderlich was convicted of three separate instances of violating a domestic abuse no-contact order in 2021, in two incidents of assaulting three correctional officers at the Washington County jail in 2021, of third-degree assault in 2013, of possession of a firearm by an ineligible person in 2003 and terroristic threats in 2002.

Wunderlich will next appear in court at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 24 in front of Washington County District Court Judge Siv Mjanger.

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB and BASSEM MROUE

BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah said Thursday the mass bombing attack against it using its communications devices was a “severe blow” and said Israel had crossed a “red line.” But he said the group would continue its daily strikes into northern Israel, vowing Israelis would not be able to return to their homes there until the Gaza war ends.

As Hassan Nasrallah spoke in a televised speech from an unknown location, Hezbollah and the Israeli military traded new strikes over the border and at least two Israeli soldiers were killed. Israeli warplanes also flew low over Beirut and broke the sound barrier, scattering birds and prompting people in houses and offices to quickly open windows to prevent them from shattering.

Fears are rising that 11 months of exchanges of fire between the two sides will escalate into all-out war, particularly after this week’s unprecedented bombings widely blamed on Israel in which hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah were remotely detonated in Beirut, parts of Lebanon and the Syrian capital Damascus.

Mourners carry the coffins of victims who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, during their funeral procession in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

At least 37 people were killed and some 3,000 wounded in the explosions, which appeared to be the culmination of a monthslong operation by Israel to target as many Hezbollah members as possible all at once, but which also hit civilians.

The attack came as Israeli leaders have warned that they could launch a stepped-up military operation against Hezbollah, saying they are determined to stop the group’s fire to allow tens of thousands of Israelis to return to homes near the border.

Nasrallah said the group is investigating how the bombings were carried out.

“Yes, we were subjected to a huge and severe blow,” he said. “The enemy crossed all boundaries and red lines.”

Pointing to the number of pagers and walkie-talkies, he accused Israel of intending to kill thousands of people at one time. “The enemy will face a severe and fair punishment from where they expect and don’t expect.”

He said Hezbollah will continue its barrages into northern Israel as long as the war in Gaza continues, vowing that Israel will not be able to bring its people back to the border region. “The only way is stop the aggression on the people of Gaza and the West Bank,” he said. “either strikes, nor assassinations nor an all-out war will achieve that.”

Lebanese soldiers stand guard as their comrades prepare to detonate a walkie-talkie that was found at the parking of the American University Hospital, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

While he spoke, Hezbollah announced at least four strikes into northern Israel, while Israeli strikes were reported in southern Lebanon. Earlier Thursday, Hezbollah said it had targeted three Israeli military positions near the border, two of them with drones. Israeli hospitals reported eight people lightly or moderately injured. Overnight, the military said it struck several militant sites in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah says its near daily fire is a show of support for Hamas. Israel’s 11-month-old war with Hamas in Gaza began after it led the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

Israel has responded to Hezbollah’s fire with strikes in southern Lebanon, and has struck senior figures from the group in the capital Beirut. The exchanges have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents on each side of the border.

Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly pulled back from an all-out war under heavy pressure from the United States, France and other countries.

But in their recent warnings, Israeli leaders have said they are determined to change the status quo dramatically.

This video grab shows a walkie-talkie that was exploded inside a house, in Baalbek, east Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo)

Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “We are at the start of a new phase in the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance.” He made no mention of the exploding devices but praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies, saying “the results are very impressive.”

Gallant said that after months of fighting Hamas in Gaza, “the center of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces.”

Israel began moving more troops to its border with Lebanon on Wednesday as a precautionary measure, Israeli officials said. Israel’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said plans have been drawn up for additional action against Hezbollah, though media reported the government has not yet decided whether to launch a major offensive in Lebanon.

Lebanon is still reeling from the deadly device attacks of Tuesday and Wednesday.

The explosions have rattled anxious Lebanese fearing a full-scale war. The Lebanese Army said it has been locating and detonating suspicious pagers and communication devices, while the country’s civil aviation authorities banned pagers and walkie-talkies on all airplanes departing from Beirut’s international airport until further notice.

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Hezbollah is hit by a wave of exploding pagers that killed at least 9 people and injured thousands

The attack was likely to severely disrupt Hezbollah’s internal communication as it scrambles to determine safe means to talk to each other. Hezbollah announced the death of five combatants Thursday, but didn’t specify if they were killed in the explosions or on the front lines.

The blasts went off wherever the holders of the pagers or walkie-talkies happened to be in multiple parts of Beirut and eastern and southern Lebanon — in homes and cars, grocery stores and cafes and on the street, even at a funeral for some killed in the bombings, often with family and other bystanders nearby.

Many suffered gaping wounds on their legs, abdomens and faces or were maimed in the hand. Tuesday’s pager blasts killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded some 2,300 others. The following day’s explosion killed 25 and wounded more than 600, Health Minister Firas Abiad said, giving updated figures.

Abiad told reporters that Wednesday’s injuries were more severe than the previous day as walkie-talkies that exploded were bigger than the pagers. He praised Lebanon’s hospitals, saying they had managed to deal with the flood of wounded within hours. “It was an indiscriminate attack. It was a war crime,” he said.