MINNEAPOLIS — As the final seconds ticked off the clock at Huntington Bank Stadium, the Iowa football team gathered at the 45-yard line, linked arm-in-arm in a swarm formation, and headed toward the west end zone, where Floyd of Rosedale sat beyond the goal post.
The Hawkeyes walked, then sprinted once they reached paydirt, and center Logan Jones and defensive tackle Yahya Black hoisted the 98-pound bronze pig into the air to celebrate their 31-14 win against Minnesota. The traveling trophy in the two teams’ ancient series spent one year in the Gophers’ display case after residing in Iowa City for the previous eight. Now, the prize porker is heading south.
Bacon Secured. #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/i9Q6qbcrNI
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) September 22, 2024
For Iowa (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten), bringing Floyd home after last season’s controversial loss was considered a major goal, but it’s just one of many for the Hawkeyes’ 2024 campaign. Trailing 14-7 at halftime, Iowa appeared headed for a crossroad in its season. The Gophers had twice put together touchdown drives of 60-plus yards, while the Hawkeyes had totaled 46 yards in the second quarter. With an off week followed by a trip to Ohio State straight ahead, any College Football Playoff discussion could be forgotten with an 0-2 start in the program’s annual rivalry games. Were we looking at a team imploding? Could it even be a sign of the end of the Kirk Ferentz era?
Instead, like so many times over his likely hall-of-fame coaching career, Ferentz navigated his team through a stormy situation to victory. Only a few adjustments were made; the rest was put on the shoulders of Ferentz’s experienced roster.
“Honestly, we had a little bit of a chip on our shoulder going into the second half,” quarterback Cade McNamara said. “We were a little pissed off by the way that we played.”
Ferentz’s halftime message was short and sweet. He described the situation as zero-sum and let the players absorb the message. They applied it in the second half.
“There’s hell of a difference between being 3-1 and 2-2 and a hell of a difference in 1-0 and 0-1 in Big Ten play,” said Ferentz, who won his 199th game to tie Amos Alonzo Stagg for the second-most wins by a Big Ten head coach. “And that was it.”
When the stakes were at their highest, the Hawkeyes doubled down on their program tenets. They got physical up front and attacked on defense. They now have the offensive line to play power football in their preferred fashion, and they leaned on it throughout the second half. Iowa overpowered Minnesota for 272 rushing yards; the Gophers defense entered Saturday allowing 74.3 per game.
“If anything, the last 10 minutes of that first half, obviously, we kind of got punched in the face,” tackle Mason Richman said. “We had a decision to make if we’re going to sit there and whine about it or punch back.”
The Hawkeyes outscored the Gophers 24-0 after halftime and outgained Minnesota 227-62 over the final two quarters. And once again, running back Kaleb Johnson delivered. Johnson, who entered the day leading the FBS in rushing, finished with a career-high 206 yards with three touchdowns on the ground. Through four games, Johnson has 685 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
Johnson’s five runs of 20-plus yards against the Gophers gives him 12 for the year — one shy of tying Iowa’s 2023 total over 14 games. Each of his touchdown runs Saturday displayed some level of his skill set. His first score was a 1-yard burst up the middle. The second score was a 15-yard carry on third-and-10 in which he got impatient and ran into lead blocker T.J. Washington but still was able to sprint past the defense into the end zone. The third touchdown was on a power call in which he followed two pulling blockers, showing patience before firing up the field for a 40-yard run.
“I’m not sure I remember anybody in four games doing what he’s done,” Ferentz said. “He just continues to run really well, and he’s been really aggressive. He’s always been a big, strong guy and a talented guy, but right now, he’s really just focused. I think really coming into his own in terms of using what strengths and abilities he does have, and he’s really using those to his advantage.”
The Iowa-Minnesota series began in 1891, and the teams have played annually since 1931. Their game on Saturday was their 118th meeting, tied for the fourth most in Big Ten history. Last year’s controversial 12-10 Minnesota victory was the latest flashpoint in a rivalry that features more than average.
With less than two minutes to play in the 2023 meeting, Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean returned a punt 56 yards to score what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown. Upon review to ensure DeJean didn’t step out of bounds, the replay official noticed DeJean swirled his left arm in a circular motion, which was deemed an invalid fair catch signal. The return was disallowed, and the Gophers won in Iowa City for the first time since 1999.
Iowa’s infamous pink visitors locker room is located just down the hall from the home team’s locker room, and the smell of cigar smoke coming from the Gophers’ postgame revelry permeated the entire area. Some Iowa players took offense to not only the overturned touchdown but the smoke-filled celebration. A few players circled back to those moments at halftime and revisited them after the game.
“We thought about the Floyd,” Johnson said. “We can’t lose that again. So, especially last year, how that hurt us, and the little fair catch and all that. It was like, yeah, that was bull. So we just said we got to win this.”
“We’re on the road, trophy game, obviously, but it’s a Big Ten opponent,” linebacker Jay Higgins said. “We knew this was a big game. But we also know we have a season down the road. It’s not like we won the Super Bowl. Probably won’t smoke cigars tonight, but just respond next week.”
“Back where it belongs, baby!”@cdejean23 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/yaFXnJ3agP
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) September 22, 2024
Iowa still has eight more games to play, and outside of a trip to Columbus on Oct. 5, it can expect to either be favored or face toss-up matchups the rest of the way. Had the Hawkeyes lost at Minnesota, their goal of reaching the College Football Playoff would have ended before the end of September. It’s far from a certainty Iowa will earn a CFP bid, but at least those hopes are alive.
“We knew the game wasn’t over at halftime,” Higgins said. “I feel like we just did a great job responding. Guys can get down in the dumps. It’s easy to feel bad for yourself. You’re down, you’re on the road, but just undeniable belief from the team. We all knew we had it under control.”
(Photo: Matt Krohn / Imagn Images)
