Minnesota Captures Floyd with Historic Victory

Nov. 8, 2014

MINNEAPOLIS - Floyd of Rosedale is home again, and Minnesota left little doubt as to whether that would happen on Saturday afternoon.

The Gophers (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) surged to a 35-7 halftime advantage and scored 51 unanswered points to post a resounding 51-14 victory against the Hawkeyes (6-3, 3-2) at TCF Bank Stadium.

The win for head coach Jerry Kill's Golden Gophers is historic for several reasons. First, it gives Minnesota possession of both Floyd of Rosedale and the Little Brown Jug (Michigan) for the first time since 1978, and it's the first time Minnesota has won both of those trophies in the same season since 1967.

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"The neat thing for our fans is that they get to take their picture with the Jug, and now they get to take their picture with the Pig," Kill said. "It's great for our state, and I know how important it is. I'm proud of our fans, and I'm proud of the whole state."

It should be pointed out that Minnesota's possession of both trophies during 1978 lasted just two weeks, as the eighth-ranked Wolverines defeated the Gophers, 42-10, shortly after Minnesota's 22-20 win against the Hawkeyes on Oct. 14, 1978. The Gophers had won the Little Brown Jug with a 16-0 win against top-ranked Michigan in 1977.

Additionally, with Minnesota currently holding the Governor's Victory Bell following its win against Penn State last season, it marks the first time since 1967 that Minnesota has had three trophies in its possession. That 1967 season was the Gophers' last Big Ten championship, and that was the last time the Gophers captured the Little Brown Jug, Floyd of Rosedale and Paul Bunyan's Axe in the same season.

In improving to 4-1 in the Big Ten, Kill's Gophers have won four of their first five conference games in a season for the first time since 1990. Kill now has won three of his past four "trophy games" after starting 1-7 in those contests, and his overall mark at Minnesota has jumped back over .500 (24-23). The Gophers were 9-16 after his first two seasons, but are 15-7 since.

After Iowa had opened the game with a touchdown from Mark Weisman on its first possession, Minnesota took control of the game. Sophomore quarterback Mitch Leidner threw three second-quarter TDs on his way to a career-high four scoring throws, and the Gophers took advantage of Iowa turnovers to build a 35-7 lead at the break.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Minnesota had stretched its advantage to 51-7. The Gophers finished with their most-lopsided win in the series with Iowa since a 49-7 victory during 1998, and their largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game under Kill. The Gophers had not won a conference game by that much since also defeating Indiana by 37 (63-26) in 2006.

Sophomore tight end Maxx Williams also had a career day for the Gophers, as he caught three of Leidner's touchdown passes. Williams led all receivers with five catches for 46 yards and registered his first three-TD game. He

"He (Williams) is unreal. I've coached this game for 31 years, and I've coached a lot of great players, but I have never seen anyone catch the ball like that kid does," Kill said. "If you get it (the ball) close to him, he's going to find a way to catch it. He's unbelievable."

Minnesota also ran the ball well, picking up 291 yards and three touchdowns on 59 rushing attempts. Leidner ran for a game-high 77 yards, while senior David Cobb had 16 carries for 74 yards and his eighth TD of the season. Junior KJ Maye added career-highs of 10 carries for 66 yards and his first career rushing TD, catching the Iowa defense off guard.

"I think Matt (Limegrover) did a good job of keeping them off balance a little bit. You always do as much as your quarterback can do, and today he (Leidner) did a great job," Kill said.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota defense turned in an outstanding effort in shutting down an Iowa offense that had accumulated 483 total yards during its 48-7 win against Northwestern last weekend. The Gophers held the Hawkeyes to just 205 total yards and 13 first downs in the game, with Iowa averaging just 3.7 yards per play.

Senior safety Cedric Thompson recorded a team-high nine tackles and forced one of two fumbles recovered by the Gophers. Minnesota also intercepted a pass, had four sacks for minus-22 yards, and broke up six passes against an offense that entered the game averaging 244.9 yards through the air.

"Our kids didn't panic (after falling behind early). Our defensive coordinator is a sharp guy, and he threw some things in there (the game plan), and you work your way into calling a game," Kill said. "I don't think they rushed for 100 yards (Iowa had 84 yards rushing). Defensively, we really dominated, and we've worked really hard on that going back to spring ball."

The Gophers close their home schedule next Saturday against nationally-ranked Ohio State. Game time has yet to be announced.

--Written by Michael Molde, Athletic Communications Assistant

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Players Mentioned

David Cobb

Mitch Leidner

KJ Maye

Cedric Thompson

Maxx Williams

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