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University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers, Hawkeyes Battle for Floyd Saturday
10/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 24, 2011
Minnesota Notes vs. Iowa 
Iowa Notes vs. Minnesota
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are back home Saturday for a Big Ten Conference matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes Saturday. The game is scheduled for a 2:42 p.m. CT kickoff from TCF Bank Stadium with Floyd of Rosedale on the line.
Minnesota is coming off a 41-14 loss to Nebraska in its last outing. The Gophers are now 1-6 overall and 0-3 in Big Ten play. The Gophers will be looking to keep Floyd of Rosedale in Minnesota after winning the trophy in last year's season finale.
Iowa enters Saturday's contest with a 5-2 overall record and a 2-1 Big Ten mark. The Hawkeyes are coming off back-to-back Big Ten wins in which they scored more than 40 points. Iowa defeated Indiana 45-24 last week and Northwestern 41-31 the week prior.
The Big Ten Network will televise Saturday's game. Eric Collins will call the play-by-play action, while Chris Martin is the analyst. Dionne Miller will provide reports from the sideline.
SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES
Minnesota faces Iowa for the 105th time Saturday. The Gophers lead the all-time series 60-42-2.
Iowa is coached by Kirk Ferentz, who is in his 12th season as the head man in Iowa City. Ferentz's longevity with the Hawkeyes is second only to his predecessor Hayden Fry, who was there 20 years. Ferentz is no stranger to Iowa City, having served under Fry from 1981-89. He has also been the head coach at Maine and coached in the NFL for six years.
The Hawkeyes boast the No. 29-rated scoring offense in the nation. Iowa averages 34.3 points per game. Quarterback James Vandenberg is among the nation's most efficient signal-callers, ranking 13th in passing efficiency (156.74). Defensively, Iowa is No. 43 in scoring defense, as the Hawkeyes allow 23.3 points per game. Iowa is also No. 7 nationally in net punting, averaging 41.04 yards of field position each time they punt the ball away.
HAPPY AS A PIG IN...
Floyd of Rosedale is the name of a bronze pig trophy that is awarded to the winner of the annual college football game between the Universities of Iowa and Minnesota. It is one of several traveling trophies in college football and one of four for which the Gophers compete. Controversy followed the 1934 game. Before the 1935 contest, with tensions running high among both fan bases, the respective state governors tried to calm things down by wagering a prize hog on the outcome of the game. Following the Gopher victory in 1935, Iowa Governor Clyde Herring obtained a prize pig from Rosedale Farms and named it Floyd after Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson. A few days later, Governor Herring collected "Floyd of Rosedale" and walked him into Goveror Olson's office. Olson later commissioned sculptor Charles Brioscho to capture Floyd's image. The result was the current trophy, which the teams play for annually.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Running back Duane Bennett cracked Minnesota's all-time career top 20 for rushing yardage. He has rushed for 1,792 yards in his career. Last week's total of 55 yards pushed him to the No. 18 spot on the chart. At his current pace, Bennett would finish his career with 2,010 yards and would rank No. 13 in school history.
BIG MAC
Senior wide receiver Da'Jon McKnight turned in a team-high receiving yardage total in last week's loss to Nebraska. McKnight grabbed a pair of receptions for 77 yards. McKnight was the team's top receiver in 2010, grabbing 48 receptions for 750 yards and 10 touchdowns. McKnight needs just 106 yards to crack the Gophers' career top 10 for receiving yards. At his current pace, McKnight would finish with 1,772 yards and would finish with the eighth-best career receiving yardage total in Gopher history.
TINSLEY=TACKLES
Senior linebacker Gary Tinsley leads the Gopher linebacking corps with 46 total tackles so far this season. He is now No. 2 on the team in total tackles. Tinsley has 157 tackles to his credit for his Gopher career. Tinsley accounted for one of Minnesota's three sacks at Purdue. He has recorded 23 solo stops and 23 assisted stops so far this season.
KIM-POSSIBLE
Senior safety Kim Royston wasn't even supposed to be on the 2011 version of the Gopher football team. He thought his career might be over when he suffered a gruesome compound fracture of his lower leg. His initial recovery went well enough that many thought he would play in 2010. But the recovery saw a setback derail his senior season. However, the NCAA granted him a sixth year of eligibility. Royston made exactly 10 tackles in each of Minnesota's first three games. He added 11 more vs. North Dakota State. Another 10 against Nebraska gives him five double-digit outings in seven games.
-UM-
