Iowa @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 28, 2017 ) Minnesota 10, Iowa 17

Neither Iowa nor Minnesota was able to capitalize on 3-0 starts in their most recent outings, suffering double-digit losses in their Big Ten openers. Recent history suggests the Hawkeyes are more likely to bounce back on Saturday, however, as they attempt to win the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy for a fourth straight season when they visit the Golden Gophers.

Iowa held a three-point lead late in the fourth quarter last weekend against No. 12 Wisconsin before the Badgers pulled ahead with 57 seconds remaining and added a second touchdown 35 seconds later after the Hawkeyes committed their third turnover of the game on their final series of the contest. "We made some critical errors. If you're going to win a Big Ten game, you have to play cleaner football than what we did tonight. … We squandered a couple opportunities on that front and ended up paying for that at the end," Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said. Minnesota had a bye week to process its 42-13 defeat on Sept. 22 at Maryland, playing with heavy hearts while mourning the death of former offensive lineman Nick Connelly three days earlier due to leukemia. The Golden Gophers entered that contest as one of the top scoring defenses in FBS before giving up 15 more points than they had allowed over the first three games combined.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Iowa -7.

ABOUT IOWA (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten): Tight end Noah Fant continued to prove why he was worthy of preseason first-team All-American status against the Badgers, posting his fourth multi-touchdown performance to increase his career receiving TD total to 16 - tied for fifth most in program history regardless of position. Fellow junior Nate Stanley has caught fire after a slow start, completing 37-of-51 passes for 565 yards and four touchdowns over the last two games; he needs three more TD passes to tie Jake Rudock (34) for ninth place on Iowa's all-time list. Sophomore defensive lineman A.J. Epenesa is tied for the conference lead with four sacks and paces the league with two forced fumbles, spearheading a unit that leads the Big Ten in scoring defense (13 points per game).

ABOUT MINNESOTA (3-1, 0-1): Following a season-ending injury to last year's leading rusher Rodney Smith in the season opener, the Gophers have leaned heavily on two freshman runners, Bryce Williams and Mohamed Ibrahim, the latter of whom returned from a two-game absence due to injury and paced the Gophers with 95 yards rushing against the Terrapins. Tyler Johnson was held to season lows in catches (two) and yards (12) against Maryland, but the junior receiver still ranks third in the Big Ten in receiving yards per game (73.8) and sixth in catches (22). Minnesota sophomore safety Antoine Winfield Jr. has been ruled out for the rest of the season after injuring his left foot in the first quarter of last Saturday's loss.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Minnesota holds a 42-39-2 advantage since the schools starting playing for the Floyd of Rosedale in 1935, although Iowa has won 13 of the last 17 meetings.

2. Fifteen of Fant’s 16 touchdowns have come from Stanley over the last 17 games.

3. Gophers freshmen are accounting for 99 percent of the passing yards, 66 percent of the rushing yards and 52 percent of the receiving yards.

PREDICTION: Iowa 24, Minnesota 16