The Iowa Hawkeyes head to the Twin Cities for their 100th meeting with Minnesota and will try to close the regular season on a positive note. Iowa is now 6-5 overall and just 2-5 in conference play after a home loss to Wisconsin.
Minnesota has won two straight, including last weekend’s victory at Michigan State. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says his team needs to get back on its feet and do what Minnesota did a few weeks ago and then worry about everything else after that.
The Gophers have caught fire the past couple of weeks and Ferentz says this team has a different style. He says they feature the passing attack and have good receivers who’re catching the ball, along with a tight end who is also catching the ball. Ferentz says the Gophers will still run, but not as much as in the past.
Iowa quarterback Drew Tate was injured on the Hawks second to last offensive play against Wisconsin but Ferentz said he was scheduled to return to practice later today. Tate has a mid-foot sprain, but the foot is stable.
At just 2-5 in the Big Ten Ferentz admits the Hawks won’t have many players named to the All Big Ten team but feels senior offensive lineman Marshall Yanda deserves consideration. Ferentz says Yanda is one of the great stories of the football team, as he says linemen often fly under the radar. Ferentz says if Yanda isn’t a first-team all-conference lineman then he’ll be shocked.