Floyd of Rosedale is on the line Saturday. Minnesota hosts Iowa on October 24, with kickoff at 2:30 p.m. CT at Huntington Bank Stadium and the game on FS1. The program is calling it a Maroon Out, so wear maroon.
The first Big Ten availability report for the game came out this week. Defensive tackle Riley Sunram and offensive lineman Jaden Ball are both listed as questionable, and tight end Pierce Walsh was added to the report as questionable too. Iowa has ruled out defensive backs Tyler Brown and Kyler Gerardy and offensive lineman Trent Wilson. Missing 2 defensive backs could matter for an Iowa pass defense that has been the softer half of its unit.
Minnesota is 4-2 and 2-1 in the Big Ten. The Gophers had 2 weeks to prepare after a 41-13 loss at Purdue on October 10, which was ugly. Iowa is 5-1, ranked No. 15, and opened as a 5.5-point favorite.
The matchup on paper is a good defense against a better one. Iowa allows 14.5 points per game, 8th in the country, and 293.3 yards per game. It is 7th nationally against the run at 84.7 rushing yards allowed, but 68th against the pass at 208.7 yards allowed. Minnesota's defense has held up well, giving up 288.8 yards per game (18th) and 21.8 points per game. The offense is the concern: 341.3 yards per game ranks 109th nationally, though the Gophers still score 28.8 points per game. Iowa averages 403.2 yards and 31 points. The Hawkeyes also rank No. 1 in the nation at forcing 3-and-outs, and the Gophers rank 12th, so the field-position battle should be ugly in the way Big Ten West fans remember.
Then there's the pig. Iowa has won 10 of the last 11 meetings. P.J. Fleck, in his 10th season, is 1-8 against Kirk Ferentz, who is in his 28th season in Iowa City. Fleck's only win in the series was the 12-10 game at Kinnick Stadium in 2023. A win at home would be the first time in a while that the bronze pig stays in Minneapolis, and the Gophers have had plenty of time off to get ready.
Fleck previewed the game at his weekly press conference. Updated availability reports are due before kickoff, and the status of Sunram, Ball and Walsh is the thing to watch until then.
