The Minnesota Golden Gophers travel to face the Iowa Hawkeyes today, Saturday, October 21 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Live coverage will be on NBC and Peacock, starting at 3:30 p.m. ET. Keep reading for how to watch and key storylines for the game.
The schools compete for Floyd of Rosedale – a bronze trophy in the shape of a pig. Iowa has won eight-straight meetings and 18 of the last 22.
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Minnesota
After a much-needed bye week, Minnesota is hoping to rebound from its 52-10 loss to Michigan two weeks ago. The Golden Gophers have lost three of their last four. Head coach P.J. Fleck is 0-7 in his head coaching career against the Hawkeyes, including an 0-6 record at the helm of Minnesota.
“I think this team, for the first few games, is finding their identity,” Fleck said about his offense, specifically, through the first six games. “I mean, there’s a lot of unknowns on our offense. And I think as you go forward, you’re finding out what you’re really good at and what you’re not really good at, but you’re looking for balance anyway you can possibly get it. Playmakers touching the ball, people earning the right to have the ball, finding out what people can do. Again, that’s where the youth and inexperience come into play is finding out what our identity is going to be.”
The tide could shift, at least less heavily in Iowa’s favor, if freshman running back Darius Taylor is cleared to return. Taylor has missed the last two games with a leg injury sustained in the team’s loss to Northwestern on September 23. Prior to then, he led the Big Ten with 532 rush yards and four rushing touchdowns. Minnesota’s last time out (against Michigan and without Taylor), the team managed only 117 yards on the ground.
Iowa
Iowa is looking to win its fourth-straight game and remain atop the Big Ten West division standings. Last week, the Hawkeyes beat Wisconsin, 15-6, on the road.
The highlight for the Hawkeyes is their defense, which held Wisconsin to six points last week and, with the exception of the 31-0 loss to No. 7 Penn State in September, hasn’t allowed more than 16 points in any game this season.
The offense is struggling though, especially without tight ends Luke Lachey (ankle) and Erick All (knee), and quarterback Cade McNamara (knee). All are expected to miss the remainder of the season. The unit currently ranks last in the Big Ten in multiple offensive categories and is last in the entire FBS in yards per game at 247.4.
Luckily, the Hawkeyes do not currently have any ranked opponents left on their regular-season schedule, so if the offense can come to some solution, Iowa should represent the West Division in the Big Ten Championship Game in December. Who that doesn’t help is offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Ferentz, whose contract will end at the end of the season should Iowa not win seven games (currently 6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) and average at least 25 points per game. The team is currently averaging just under 21 points per game.
How to watch the Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
- When: Today, Saturday, October 21
- Where: Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Watch: NBC and Peacock
How can I watch Big Ten on Peacock?
The Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes game will stream exclusively on Peacock. Sign up for Peacock here.
What devices support Peacock?
You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices.
View the full list of supported devices here.
