The Minnesota Gophers finally took down the Iowa Hawkeyes, ending an agonizing 8-game losing streak. The Gophers hadn't held Floyd of Rosedale since 2014 and hadn't won in Iowa City since 1999. PJ Fleck, even with a lot of his downsides, continues to deliver big wins for Minnesota. The Gophers essentially beat Iowa at their own game. We made 4 field goals and wisely took the points when we had the chances, rather than trying to go for stupid 4th downs. We also won the turnover game and played solid defense against Iowa and their NCAA-worst offense.
There was a big moment late in the game that caused controversy. Minnesota was punting late in the 4th quarter while up 12-10. Iowa's Punt Returner, Cooper DeJean, pointed to where the ball was going to land with his right hand and was shoeing away his teammates with a waving motion with his left hand. Per the rulebook, the act of waving his left hand immediately stops the returning team from being able to advance the ball if they do decide to secure it. Cooper went towards the sideline, secured the ball, and then decided to start shaking defenders who had already started to pull up because they saw him waving his left arm. Cooper was able to return it all the way back for what appeared to be a game winning touchdown. After review, the refs announced that is was indeed an "invalid fair catch" and the ball was placed where Copper secured it, at Iowa's 46 yard line. This is not a "penalty," but rather a dead ball. It would have been a penalty if he called for an actual fair catch and then tried to return it. The uncouth Iowa fans then began throwing trash and beer on the sidelines and at the Gopher's players because they were "unhappy" with the CORRECT call on the field. Let's be real, Cooper DeJean is considered one of the best punt returners in the country...you're telling me he didn't actually know that rule? Come on. He absolutely knew that rule and knew that by waving his left hand it was cause the Gopher's punt coverage team to pull up when he was securing the ball, only to give him an advantage at a game-changing return. I tell ya, Michigan and Iowa are the 2 most pathetic, asshole schools in the Big Ten. Michigan is the type of school that will cheat any chance they get and also go for 2 when they are already beating a team by 40. Iowa and their bullshit "wave" to the children's hospital mid game is one of the most insincere/hypocritical/superficial "traditions" in college football. Throwing trash on the field and at the opposing team is really a great look for the kids. Iowa doesn't care at all about that children's hospital. If the year were 1810, we would call this indecorous behavior from the University of Iowa. But are we surprised at all? No. Anyway, Iowa still had a chance to win. They just needed about 15-20 yards while still having one timeout and they could have won with a field goal. The Gophers Defense stepped up big with a game winning interception to bring FLOYD BACK HOME. He is safe and no longer being held hostage in the most boring state in the US. :)
Next up, the 4-3 Gophers host the 2-5 Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans have lost 5 straight games and are having a very bad season. This Gophers offense has also been playing terrible football this season. I don't know much about Michigan State and I really don't care enough to do much research. I will just bet on the defense playing well and helping Minnesota come out with a 24-16 victory to improve to 5-3 on the season, needing only one more win to secure a bowl game! Go Gophers!
