THE ESSENTIALS
Date/Time: Nov. 19, 2022 / 3 p.m. CT
Site: Minneapolis
Stadium: Huntington Bank Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 50,805
Series Overall: Minnesota Leads 62-51-2
Streak: Minnesota Lost 7
Series in Minnesota: Minnesota Leads 39-19-1
Streak: Minnesota Lost 3
Last Meeting: Minnesota lost 27-22 in iowa City (11/13/21)
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1. RV/RV Minnesota (7-3, 4-3 B1G) plays its final home game of the season Saturday as it welcomes Iowa (6-4, 4-3) to Huntington Bank Stadium. Kickoff between two of the four teams tied for first in the Big Ten West is set for 3 p.m. on FOX with radio coverage on KFAN.
2. Mohamed Ibrahim has rushed 238 times in nine games this season for 1,261 yards (5.3 average) and 18 touchdowns. He’s posted those numbers despite missing the Purdue contest and not playing beyond the opening drive of the second half in any of the first three contests this season. In the process, he’s extended his streak of 100-yard rushing games to 18 straight dating back to the 2020 Outback Bowl. According to ESPN, Ibrahim’s streak is the longest by any FBS player since 2000. During the current stretch, Ibrahim has rushed 489 times for 2,640 yards and 36 touchdowns. He’s averaging 5.40 yards per rush and 146.7 yards per game over that span and has added 14 catches for 99 yards. He’s had three games of more than 200 yards during his streak, 12 games with at least two rushing touchdowns, six games with three or more scores and a pair of four-TD games that tied Minnesota’s single-game record. More info on Ibrahim can be found on Page 5 of the game notes.
3. Minnesota boasts one of the best and most well-rounded defenses in the nation under defensive coordinator Joe Rossi. The Golden Gophers rank eighth in the country by allowing 274.0 total yards per contest. They also have the No. 4 defense in terms of scoring (13.1 ppg), No. 8 in passing yards allowed (167.3) and the No. 13 rush defense (106.8). Minnesota joins Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State and Michigan as the only teams in the nation that rank 13th or better in each of those categories.
4. Saturday marks the 116th all-time matchup between Minnesota and Iowa, and it’s also the 88th battle for Floyd of Rosedale, a 15.5-inch high, 21-inch long bronze statue of a prized hog (a full history of which can be found on Page 49 of the game notes). First played for in 1935, the all-time series record for Floyd of Rosedale could not be much more even as the Hawkeyes hold a slight lead at 43-42-2.
5. The 2022 campaign is the sixth for head coach P.J. Fleck at Minnesota, where he holds a record of 42-26. He is already fifth in program history for wins and sixth in Big Ten wins (25) and games coached (68). Fleck’s .618 win percentage is third best among the 11 Minnesota coaches with at least 45 games under their helm behind only Henry L. Williams (.786, 1900-21) and Bernie Bierman (.716, 1932-41, ’45-50). In his 10th season overall as a college head coach, Fleck is 72-48 (.600).
JALEN JAMS
Gopher defensive end Jalen Logan-Redding spoke with MNN sports director Mike Grimm about the game:
(info and photos courtesy of Gopher Sports)