Meet Your Insider
Well, hello there. I'm Torvald Engebretsen, Tor to my friends, and I'm your Minnesota insider at The Cover Window. I grew up in Minneapolis ice-fishing with my grandpa, and I know the history of every rivalry trophy this program plays for. Minnesota has more trophies than I have winter coats, and I have a lot of winter coats.
I'm dry, I'm earnest and I'm polite, but get me started on rivalry lore and I'm unstoppable. Here's my promise: every number in this report has a source. If I don't know something, I'll tell you so. I celebrate our players as young people first, I respect every opponent, even the ones from south of the border, and I thank God for crisp autumn Saturdays. Cold enough for ya? Good.
The School in 60 Seconds
Minnesota started playing football in 1882 and has been in the Big Ten since the league began in 1896 as the Western Conference. The Golden Gophers claim seven national championships. Four of them, in 1936, 1940, 1941 and 1960, came from the major wire-service polls. Since 2009, home has been Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. CFBD lists 50,850 seats.
The last five seasons have been sturdy: 9-4, 9-4, 6-7, 8-5 and 8-5. Four winning seasons in five years. My grandpa would call that a good catch.
The Coach and the Scheme
P.J. Fleck has led Minnesota since 2017. CFBD lists his hire date as Jan. 6, 2017. He coached Western Michigan from 2013 to 2016. He played receiver at Northern Illinois and spent time with the San Francisco 49ers. He was a receivers coach at Northern Illinois, Rutgers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2019 he led the Gophers to one of their best seasons in half a century.
This year's defense is the strength. Minnesota allows 288.8 yards per game (18th in FBS) and 159.7 passing yards (9th). Opponents convert 30.9% of third downs, 17th. The red-zone defense is the soft spot, ranking 102nd at 88.9%.
The offense throws for 236.5 yards per game (61st) and scores 28.8 points (73rd). The run game is the worry, at 104.8 yards per game (129th). The Gophers control the clock well, though, at 32:47 per game (22nd).
Players to Know
QB Drake Lindsey: 1,335 yards, nine touchdowns, five interceptions, 64.8% completions. At Purdue he threw for 248 yards on 22-of-39 passing with a touchdown and an interception.
WR Javon Tracy: team-best 32 catches for 375 yards and a touchdown.
WR Jalen Smith: three catches for 89 yards at Purdue, including a 42-yard touchdown.
RB TJ Thomas Jr.: the leading rusher. AP lists 319 yards on 52 carries and ESPN 317 on 51, a tiny conflict.
RB Darius Taylor: seven catches for 51 yards at Purdue.
K Luke Drzewiecki: a 49-yard field goal at Purdue.
TJ Bush Jr.: team-high four sacks.
Maverick Baranowski: team-high 45 tackles.
The Conference Picture
Minnesota is 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten. The Gophers are 3-1 at home and 1-1 on the road. They beat Eastern Illinois 59-7, lost 38-13 to Mississippi State and beat Akron 41-7. Then came two big Big Ten wins: 27-24 at Washington and 20-14 over Michigan. The 41-13 loss at Purdue followed.
The road ahead is steep, like a ski hill in January. After Iowa come Indiana on the road, UCLA at home, Penn State on the road, Northwestern at home and Wisconsin on the road. A home win Saturday would mean a lot.
This Week: Game Preview from Both Sides
No. 15 Iowa (5-1) at Minnesota (4-2) · Saturday, Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m. ET · Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis · FS1
Last time out. Minnesota lost 41-13 at Purdue on Oct. 10. Fleck called it a game where Purdue "dominated the game in pretty much every facet". Both teams then had an open week. Iowa beat Washington 41-24 on Oct. 9.
Minnesota's offense vs. Iowa's defense. This is the hard part. Iowa allows 14.5 points per game (8th) and 84.7 rushing yards (7th). At Washington, Iowa held the Huskies to minus-3 rushing yards and had six sacks. Our run game managed 25 yards on 12 carries at Purdue. So Lindsey and the receivers will carry the load. Iowa's pass defense ranks 68th, which is the opening.
Iowa's offense vs. Minnesota's defense. Our pass defense ranks 9th. Iowa's passing game ranks 93rd, and quarterback Hank Brown missed the Washington game with an injury. Jeremy Hecklinski threw three touchdowns in his place. Kamari Moulton ran for 208 yards at Washington, so stopping the run is job one. Our red-zone defense (102nd) needs to hold up.
Series. The winner gets Floyd of Rosedale, a bronze pig trophy introduced in 1935. I could talk about that pig all afternoon. CFBD shows Iowa 9-1 against us from 2016 to 2025, and Iowa won 41-3 last year. A TV station's summary lists Minnesota ahead 63-54-2 all-time. That figure is thin, but it's history worth remembering.
Availability. No official conference availability report has been published. I found no confirmed Minnesota injury news.
Three questions that decide it:
1. Can Minnesota run at all against Iowa's 7th-ranked run defense?
2. Can the Gophers' red-zone defense hold up?
3. Can Minnesota bounce back from the Purdue loss with an open week behind it?
Orrin, the Iowa insider, wears one sweater every week. I respect a man with commitment, and I own enough coats to lend him one.
Local Flavor
The pig is up for grabs, and this one's at home. Bundle up, bring a thermos of hot cocoa and greet the Iowa fans politely. They drove a long way. I'll share confirmed pregame spots before kickoff. Not an ad. Ski-U-Mah!
My call: Iowa Hawkeyes 28, Minnesota Golden Gophers 18.