The Gopher seniors have one final opportunity to win a rivalry trophy. Never have they hoisted Paul Bunyan's Axe, the Little Brown Jug, Floyd of Rosedale or even the Governor's Bell. Well they have one final chance.
There are 16 seniors on the roster, the ones who were here for their four full seasons have endured a lot of losses. They have endured a lot of public ridicule. They have endured a lot of coaching chances, especially the red-shirt seniors. And they have endured some emotional times in their four seasons. Today, it all comes to an end.
A college career always begins with a lot of hope and promise. I can only imagine that during their painful 1-11 freshman season, guys like Adam Weber and Kyle Theret told themselves that it can only get better. That by the time they are seniors that 2007 season will be long forgotten and they'll accomplish something special before they are finished. Unfortunately for them (and all of us) 2010 was all too reminiscent of 2007. Fortunately they have one more opportunity to do something special, win the Pig. Bring home Floyd!
Can it be done? Here are some long-shot reasons why it is possible.
* We've had 2 weeks to prepare. Alabama faced several teams this year who had 2 weeks to prepare for the Tide. Ask them if having 2 weeks to get ready for an opponent is significant. It doesn't guarantee anything but it certainly helps to have 14 days to rest your bodies and gameplan for a rival.
* We finally won a game. Beating Illinois was a huge emotional lift for this team. They finally have that monkey off their back and the pressure of another winless Big Ten season is behind them. I imagine today they can come out and just enjoy playing football instead of dreading the thought of pushing their losing streak out to 11.
* Iowa is a little down. Not down in talent but they had high hopes for this season and those hopes are dashed. They faced Ohio State last week with one final opportunity to make a statement this season but things didn't work out and they are looking at an 8-4 season. That isn't so bad but after their BCS Bowl win last year they had hoped for more. This game is really kind of meaningless for their big picture. They are going to a good bowl game but it will be at best the Big Ten's 4th best bowl game.
You all know I'm pretty optimistic but here is the reality.
* We haven't scored on Iowa since Weber connected with Decker for a fourth quarter touchdown back in 2007.
* Iowa is still a very good team. Adrian Clayborn, Ricky Stanzi and a roster full of talented and experienced players. They may have lost a couple more games than they would have liked but they still were competitive with the likes of Ohio State, which is much more than we can say. Their three Big Ten losses are by a total of eight points only one of our losses was within eight points.
* They have a stable coaching staff. Their staff has been set for several years and it will be in place next year. Our staff probably has their moving vans packed and will be on the road Monday afternoon. I'm exaggerating a little but the point is we are transition.
I gave up on this season a very long time ago. I was thrilled to see the win last week and it was more than I had hoped for. I would be happy to see us score and be able to watch a competitive game. I'd love nothing more than to see a win and the seniors sprint across the field to grab Floyd. Let's have some fun in the cold and snow and let's beat Iowa!
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