Minnesota Football: Gophers fight for Floyd as Iowa comes to town - OPEN THREAD

I love facing Iowa, mostly because I hate them so much. Last year it was that 1st quarter in Iowa City that really kept the Gophers from a trip to Pasadena. The Hawkeyes started that game playing very un-Iowa like, they jumped out to a lead that Minnesota couldn’t recover from. I’ll never forgive them.

But 2019 is behind us and the question is can we get Floyd back in 2020?

3 KEYS

• Defensive front seven is KEY - There are always a lot of keys, but this one is crucial. The Iowa offensive line is going to own TCF Bank Stadium if the Gopher front seven doesn’t play better.
• Unleash Morgan/Bateman - Tanner Morgan and Rashod Bateman have been fine this year, but the offense has really been the Mo Show. Time to unleash the passing game and jump on Iowa early.
• Win the big plays - We need to have more big plays than Iowa. Not necessarily because we need big plays, but if Iowa is moving the ball in big chunks, we are going to be in trouble.

OPPOSING PLAYERS TO WATCH

• #15 RB - Tyler Goodsen - The lead back for the Hawkeyes is averaging 5.4 yards per carry this year and containing him will force Iowa to throw with their new quarterback.
• #54 DT - Daviyon Nixon - Two sacks, a forced fumble and 4 more TFLs for the junior. Keep this guy in check and the offense should have more time to work.

PREDICTION

Do I really have to? I’m been quietly confident all week, but perhaps I’m seeing more improvement than there actually was a week ago. I haven’t been terribly impressed with Iowa, though same can be said for the Gophers.

I’m counting on Morgan and Bateman to have a big night and then I wouldn’t mind seeing 2 or 3 picks from Spencer Petras, leading to a Gopher win and rivalry trophy secured.

Minnesota - 31
Iowa - 24