Minnesota opens its Big Ten football schedule at home Saturday vs. Iowa.
The lowdown
Date/time: Saturday, Sept. 21, 6:30 p.m.
Site: Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
Series: Minnesota leads 63-52-2
Series streak: Minnesota has won 1
Series at Minnesota: Minnesota leads 39-20-1
Streak at Minnesota: Minnesota has lost 4
Television: NBC, Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), Kathryn Tappen (reporter)
10 things to know
1. With the game taking place on Sept. 21, it’s the earliest in the season that the teams have met in the 133-year history of the rivalry. There have been only two previous September games with those taking place in 2012 (9-29) and 2013 (9-28).
2. It’s the 118th all-time matchup between Minnesota and Iowa, and it’s also the 90th meeting for Floyd of Rosedale, a 15.5-inch high, 21-inch long bronze statue of a prized hog. Since the teams began playing for Floyd in 1935, the Hawkeyes hold a 44-43-2 lead.
3. Minnesota is 65-55-8 all-time in Big Ten openers, including 3-4 under P.J. Fleck. The Gophers are 72-51-5 in conference openers at home. It’s the 16th time that Minnesota opens its conference slate with Iowa, going. They most recently opened with Iowa in both 2012 and 2013, but before then it had not happened since 1934.
4. Minnesota has won two straight games by shutouts, beating Rhode Island 48-0 and Nevada 27-0. It’s the first time Minnesota has accomplished this feat since October of 1962. 1926 is the only time Minnesota had bigger back-to-back shutouts (41-0 over Iowa and 81-0 over Butler). Missouri is the only other FBS team in the country with two shutouts this season. The Tigers have defeated Murray State 51-0 and Buffalo 38-0.
5. This is P.J. Fleck’s eighth season at Minnesota, where his record is 52-35. He is fifth in program history for overall wins. Kirk Ferentz is in his 26th season at Iowa with a 198-120 record.
6. With a win Saturday, Ferentz would move into a tie for second place in all-time in wins in the Big Ten. He trails only Ohio State’s Woody Hayes (205) and Chicago’s Amos Alonzo Stagg (199).
7. Ferentz has 122 Big Ten wins, trailing Hayes (153) and Michigan’s Bo Schembechler (143).
8. Iowa has won four straight games in Minnesota and eight of nine overall in the series.
9. The Hawkeyes are 8-4 in their last 12 conference openers and 13-12 under Ferentz. It’s the second straight year Iowa has opened league play on the road. The Hawkeyes were at Penn State last year.
9. Minnesota does not appear in either the Associated Press or Coaches Poll this week. Iowa received votes in both.
10. With four official trophy games, Minnesota football has more trophy games within the Big Ten than any other program. Official trophy games are:
Little Brown Jug: vs. Michigan
Floyd of Rosedale: vs. Iowa
Paul Bunyan’s Axe: vs. Wisconsin
Governor’s Victory Bell: vs. Penn State
There’s also one unofficial trophy game:
$5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy: vs. Nebraska
Crossing state lines
Marshall graduate Yayah Black, a 6-foot-5, 317-pound senior defensive end, is the lone player from Minnesota on Iowa’s roster.
There are two players from Iowa on Minnesota’s roster.
They are both tight ends, Frank Bierman (6-4, 250) a redshirt senior from Tipton and Jacob Simpson (6-4, 230), a freshman from Johnston.
Series history
Scores in the Minnesota-Iowa football series.
1891: Minnesota 42, Iowa 4
1901: Minnesota 16, Iowa 0
1902: Minnesota 34, Iowa 0
1903: Minnesota 75, Iowa 0
1904: Minnesota 11, Iowa 0
1905: Minnesota 39, Iowa 0
1909: Minnesota 41, Iowa 0
1911: Minnesota 24, Iowa 6
1912: Minnesota 56, Iowa 7
1914: Minnesota 7, Iowa 0
1915: Minnesota 51, Iowa 13
1916: Minnesota 67, Iowa 0
1918: Iowa 6, Minnesota 0
1919: Iowa 9, Minnesota 6
1920: Iowa 28, Minnesota 7
1921: Iowa 41, Minnesota 7
1922: Iowa 28, Minnesota 14
1923: Minnesota 20, Iowa 7
1924: Iowa 13, Minnesota 0
1925: Minnesota 33, Iowa 0
1926: Minnesota 41, Iowa 0
1927: Minnesota 38, Iowa 0
1928: Iowa 7, Minnesota 6
1929: Iowa 9, Minnesota 7
1930: Minnesota 34, Iowa 0
1931: Minnesota 34, Iowa 0
1932: Minnesota 21, Iowa 6
1933: Minnesota 19, Iowa 7
1934: Minnesota 48, Iowa 12
1935: Minnesota 13, Iowa 6
1936: Minnesota 52, Iowa 0
1937: Minnesota 35, Iowa 10
1938: Minnesota 28, Iowa 0
1939: Iowa 13, Minnesota 9
1940: Minnesota 34, Iowa 6
1941: Minnesota 34, Iowa 13
1942: Minnesota 27, Iowa 7
1943: Minnesota 33, Iowa 14
1944: Minnesota 46, Iowa 0
1945: Iowa 20, Minnesota 19
1946: Minnesota 16, Iowa 6
1947: Iowa 13, Minnesota 7
1948: Minnesota 28, Iowa 21
1949: Minnesota 55, Iowa 7
1950: Iowa 13, Minnesota 7
1951: Minnesota 20, Iowa 20 (tie)
1952: Minnesota 17, Iowa 7
1953: Iowa 27, Minnesota 0
1954: Minnesota 22, Iowa 20
1955: Iowa 26, Minnesota 0
1956: Iowa 7, Minnesota 0
1957: Iowa 44, Minnesota 20
1958: Iowa 28, Minnesota 6
1959: Iowa 33, Minnesota 0
1960: Minnesota 27, Iowa 10
1961: Minnesota 16, Iowa 9
1962: Minnesota 10, Iowa 0
1963: Iowa 27, Minnesota 13
1964: Minnesota 14, Iowa 13
1965: Minnesota 14, Iowa 3
1966: Minnesota 17, Iowa 0
1967: Minnesota 10, Iowa 0
1968: Iowa 35, Minnesota 28
1969: Minnesota 35, Iowa 8
1970: Minnesota 14, Iowa 14 (tie)
1971: Minnesota 19, Iowa 14
1972: Minnesota 43, Iowa 14
1973: Minnesota 31, Iowa 23
1974: Minnesota 23, Iowa 17
1975: Minnesota 31, Iowa 7
1976: Iowa 22, Minnesota 12
1977: Iowa 18, Minnesota 6
1978: Minnesota 22, Iowa 20
1979: Minnesota 24, Iowa 7
1980: Minnesota 24, Iowa 6
1981: Minnesota 12, Iowa 10
1982: Iowa 21, Minnesota 16
1983: Iowa 61, Minnesota 10
1984: Minnesota 23, Iowa 17
1985: Iowa 31, Minnesota 9
1986: Iowa 30, Minnesota 27
1987: Iowa 34, Minnesota 20
1988: Iowa 31, Minnesota 22
1989: Minnesota 43, Iowa 7
1990: Minnesota 31, Iowa 24
1991: Iowa 23, Minnesota 8
1992: Minnesota 28, Iowa 13
1993: Iowa 21, Minnesota 3
1994: Iowa 49, Minnesota 42
1995: Iowa 45, Minnesota 3
1996: Iowa 43, Minnesota 24
1997: Iowa 31, Minnesota 0
1998: Minnesota 49, Iowa 7
1999: Minnesota 25, Iowa 21
2000: Minnesota 27, Iowa 24
2001: Iowa 42, Minnesota 24
2002: Iowa 45, Minnesota 21
2003: Iowa 40, Minnesota 22
2004: Iowa 29, Minnesota 27
2005: Iowa 52, Minnesota 28
2006: Minnesota 34, Iowa 24
2007: Iowa 21, Minnesota 16
2008: Iowa 55, Minnesota 0
2009: Iowa 12, Minnesota 0
2010: Minnesota 27, Iowa 24
2011: Minnesota 22, Iowa 21
2012: Iowa 31, Minnesota 13
2013: Iowa 23, Minnesota 7
2014: Minnesota 51, Iowa 14
2015: Iowa 40, Minnesota 35
2016: Iowa 14, Minnesota 7
2017: Iowa 17, Minnesota 10
2018: Iowa 48, Minnesota 31
2019: Iowa 23, Minnesota 19
2020: Iowa 35, Minnesota 7
2021: Iowa 27, Minnesota 22
2022: Iowa 13, Minnesota 10
2023: Minnesota 12, Iowa 10