Floyd of Rosedale has a well-worn perch by now among the trophies displayed in the foyer of the Iowa football building.
The 98-pound bronze pig, which Minnesota and Iowa have played for every year since 1935, will have resided in Iowa City for 2,898 consecutive days come Saturday. That's eight straight years.
The Gophers will try to break 24th-ranked Iowa's grip on Floyd when they meet at Kinnick Stadium in one of college football's traditional rivalry games. The Gophers haven't won in Iowa City since 1999.
“Iowa’s obviously had the upper hand over the years," Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. “It’s a huge rivalry game. We’ve talked to our players about what it means. They understand that. They know how close we've been.”
Three of the last four meetings have been decided by five points or less, including Iowa's 13-10 win last year on Drew Stevens' 21-yard field goal with 28 seconds left.
Iowa leads the series 44–42–2 since it's been a trophy game; the Gophers are ahead 62-52-2 all-time.
Points probably will be at a premium again Saturday. The Big Ten West-leading Hawkeyes (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) have statistically the worst offense in the nation, and the Gophers (3-3, 1-2) are only slightly better.
The difference is that Iowa, as it does most years, has been able to rely on strong defense and special teams to stack wins. The Gophers have been inconsistent and mistake-prone, never more than when they squandered a 21-point lead late in the third quarter against Northwestern and lost 37-34 in overtime.
Freshman Darius Taylor has had consecutive rushing performances of 193, 138 and 198 yards but has missed the last two games because of injury.
“They continue to be a big, physical group offensively,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Names change but the pattern stays pretty similar. They run the ball extremely well. Ran the ball really well against us last year, as good as anybody has in a long time. That’s certainly something we’ll have to be focused on.”
NEXT MAN UP AT TIGHT END
Iowa's Steven Stilianos moves up to No. 1 tight end with Erick All (knee) out for the season. The Hawkeyes also are without their other top tight end, Luke Lachey (ankle). Stilianos, who transferred from FCS school Lafayette in 2022, has played in all seven games this season and started four when Iowa came out in a double-tight end set. He has five catches for 54 yards.
“It's unfortunate how everytihng played out,” he said, “but I'm excited to showcase what I can do at this level.”
DEACON BLUES
Iowa's Deacon Hill is just 23-of-62 passing for 262 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions since taking over for injured starter Cade McNamara. Ferentz found a silver lining when asked about Hill's numbers. The coach pointed out that Hill didn't turn over the ball against Wisconsin last week.
Hill is confident of improvement.
“It's just working on all the basic stuff: timing, location, route-running, chemistry. It's all tied together," he said. "At some point it's going to feel right."
NOT PASSING FANCY
Athan Kaliakmanis, in his first full season as Minnesota's starter, threw two Pick-Sixes in his last game, a 52-10 loss to Michigan. Fleck said Kaliakmanis made good reads on the plays but was “just a little bit off.”
Kaliakmanis threw a key interception late in the game against Iowa last year. He's completed 55.9% of his attempts for 797 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions.
“He’s constantly showing growth,” Fleck said. “Now you’ve got to continue to show growth at a rapid rate, but he’s so willing to learn.”
TIME FOR HEALING
Fleck said the Gophers' open date last week was timely because it gave his players a chance to recharge for the second half of the season. Two injured players, Taylor and top linebacker Cody Lindenberg, are continuing to heal from leg injuries. Lindenberg hasn't played this season.
Fleck, always tight-lipped when it comes to injuries, offered no hint about their availability this week. “Time does help," he said. "It gets guys closer.”
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AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
