“The hunt,” as P.J. Fleck said last Saturday, is afoot. Four teams (Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin) sit at 4-2 in the Big Ten West. Only one team can come out victorious. A marquee matchup in Iowa City this Saturday between the Gophers and Hawkeyes will clear some air in a crowded race to Indianapolis.

Remember when Gophers TE Maxx Williams hauled in three touchdown grabs in a 51-14 shellacking of the Hawkeyes? That was seven years ago. Ever since, Iowa is 6-0 in the series and 4-0 during the Fleck era. Minnesota may win the all-time series, but they haven’t even led in the scoring column in this border battle since 2016.

The Hawkeyes are homesick. It is their first game at Kinnick Stadium in nearly a month. Iowa will also be without starting quarterback Spencer Petras and will start Alex Padilla, who completed 18/28 passes for 172 yards at Northwestern. Gophers Defensive Coordinator Joe Rossi thinks Petras and Padilla are capable quarterbacks that have different experience levels but is nonetheless impressed by them.

Star defensive back Riley Moss will return for Iowa as well. He is a turnover machine who has four career interceptions against the Gophers.

“Unless he hits a pothole, he’ll be full throttle on Saturday,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said of Moss’ status.

Gophers Offensive Coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. preaches patience for his offense on Saturday not to be prone to turnovers, which have been a staple in this rivalry.

“There’s a lot of tipped balls and quarterbacks are throwing it up for dear life and it shows quarterbacks and coordinators are getting impatient … we have to play smart football,” Sanford said.

“Everybody knows their role, they have really smart players, and they all have their eyes on the quarterback,” Fleck said about the Hawkeyes defense. “From the nose guards to three-technique, to the ends, to the linebackers and the secondary, everybody has a chance to make a play and make an impact on the game.”

Meanwhile, Minnesota, coming off a 14-6 upset loss at home, has lost sole possession of first place in the Big Ten West. Fleck made it clear on Monday that the Gophers control their own destiny. The run game, which was uncharacteristically dormant last Saturday, with leading rusher Ky Thomas only running for 60 yards, faces a tough task against Iowa’s 8th-ranked run defense.

In order for the Gophers to come out victorious in Iowa City, Rossi is adamant that the team can’t allow “chunk” or “explosive” plays. The 2020 Floyd of Rosedale match got “out of hand” in the 4th quarter where Iowa scored 21 points on big plays. Tyler Goodson and Mekhi Sargent each had carries of 30-plus yards against a porous Gophers defense. Today, the Gophers rank 14th nationally against the run and should have smoother sailing versus Iowa’s offense.

The Floyd of Rosedale trophy began with Minnesota governor Floyd B. Olson winning a bet in 1935 against the governor of Iowa over the Gophers-Hawkeyes matchup that year. The Gophers won 13-7 and a pig born in Rosedale, IA was given to Floyd.