PJ Fleck seemed to have passed his longtime hatred for passing the football (pun intended), thanks to the arrival of Max Brosmer. Meanwhile, the Iowa defense looked vulnerable last week, during an in-state rivalry loss vs Iowa State. On top of all that, the Gophers were at home.

Unfortunately, that’s not how things played out on the field. After the Minnesota offense started to cook in the 2nd quarter, jumping out to a 14-7 halftime lead, everything fell apart in the second half. Iowa took advantage of the break in play, made all the perfect adjustments in the locker room, and proceeded to stomp on the Gophers in quarters three and four.

From the first snap of the 2nd half, until the final second ticked off the game clock, Kirk Ferentz took PJ to school, on both sides of the ball, especially in the trenches. When the dust settled on a battered and bruised bunch of Gophers, the scoreboard at Huntington Bank Stadium showed 31-14, away team. That’s right, zero points in the 2nd half for Minnesota. Anyway… here’s what we learned about our Gophers, in defeat.

1. Minnesota Gophers have a problem in the trenches

It seemed as if the Minnesota Gophers had fixed their offensive and defensive line issues, in the first half. No doubt, Iowa has one of the best defenses in the Big Ten, and one of the best running backs in the country.

But, the Gophers were able to completely shutdown the Hawkeye passing game, which made it very difficult for them to move the ball, early. Meanwhile, Fleck clearly believes the best way for his team to move the football, is on the right arm of Max Brosmer (more on that momentarily).

In the 2nd half, though, Iowa made adjustments on both lines. On defense, more stunts and ghost blitzers fixed their pressure issues, and flustered Brosmer. On the other side of the football, Ferentz decided he was going to feed his All-American running back and force the Gopher defensive line to play better than his O-line.

40-yard house call ☎️@Kj_Superman2 x #Hawkeyes

pic.twitter.com/wAfGFkQdKx

— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) September 22, 2024

It proved to be the perfect strategy. Caleb Johnson carried the ball 21 times, for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns. For those looking for the math… that’s a 9.8 YPC average. QB Cade McNamara threw for just 62 yards. But who needs to throw, when you can run for 10 yards every carry?

Related: Minnesota Gophers Have a New Coach You Might Recognize

If the Minnesota Gophers cannot fix their problems in the trenches, an area that was supposed to be a strength, entering the season, then they will struggle to reach five, when it’s all said and done.

2. PJ Fleck might trust Max Brosmer too much

We all waited for the day that PJ Fleck would put his trust in a quarterback, and allow his offense to evolve into the 21st century. Since the 2nd half vs North Carolina, he’s proven that Max Brosmer is that QB, allowing him to throw 77 times through three games (25.7 times per game).

But on Saturday, it got a little bit out of control and the reasoning is pretty obvious. See No. 1 above. The Gophers have an offensive line problem, and that’s something that was not supposed to be a concern. Brosmer got into a rhythm in the 3rd quarter and ended up 22 of 37 for 209 yards 2 TD and 2 INT. This was the high point. It got ugly, from here.

These nifty moves from Elijah Spencer gave @GopherFootball the lead going into the half 👀#B1GFootball on Peacock 📺 pic.twitter.com/mdZsSvJnCV

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 22, 2024

I love that Fleck trusts Brosmer. He should. That doesn’t mean we can just ignore the run game, though. PJ and his O-Line coach Brian Callahan MUST get their front-five right, ASAP. Or else…

3. PJ Fleck got cocky and Kirk Ferentz, Iowa Hawkeyes, took him to school

I think this is important to note. PJ Fleck was feeling himself, and his team, a little too much, at the end of the half. It jacked me up at the time, but calling a timeout with one second left, when Ferentz was trying to get to the locker room, was one hell of a choice. I’m not saying that was what motivated the Hawkeyes, coming out of halftime, but it certainly didn’t help.

PJ also called for the Minnesota Gophers to go for it on 4th and short, from their own 35 yard line, during the 3rd quarter. They made it, but only thanks to a 2nd and 3rd effort from Darius Taylor to lunge across the marker.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Have a New Coach You Might Recognize

The Gophers punted four plays later. Again, Fleck was clearly trying to send messages to the other sideline, in these moments. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the horses in his trenches to back it up.

Next week, the Minnesota Gophers will travel to Ann Arbor, to face the No. 18 Michigan Wolverines, who will be ranked even higher, after completing a comeback victory over the USC Trojans on Saturday afternoon. Unless they can pull out one of the biggest upsets in program history, a 2-4 start to the 2024 season looms…

Minnesota Gophers vs Iowa Hawkeyes on NBC Primetime

The date, according to Brett McMurphy (Action Network), is set for the night of September 21. Not only will it be the first primetime game of the season on NBC, but it will be Minnesota’s first Big Ten game of the year, as well.

NBC’s preferred primetime lineup sources told @ActionNetworkHQ

Sept 21 Iowa at Minnesota
Sept 28 Illinois at Penn St
Oct 5 Michigan at Washington
Oct 12 Ohio St at Oregon
Oct 19 Iowa at Michigan St
Oct 26 Penn St at Wisconsin
Nov 2 USC at Washington
Nov 9 FSU at Notre Dame
Nov…

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) June 3, 2024

Despite a losing 5-7 record regular season record, the Golden Gophers landed a bowl game at the end of 2023, thanks to their academic excellence, defeating Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Now, with a new quarterback under center, in New Hampshire transfer Max Brosmer, PJ Fleck will get an immediate opportunity to show how good his 2024 squad is.

For the Minnesota diehards!

Here's some more throws from today's #Gophers pro day ft new QB Max Brosmer
(cause I know y'all want them) 😉. pic.twitter.com/MTMtEWpDPv

— Kane Rob (@GophersKaneRob) March 14, 2024

The Big Ten has a substantially different look entering this fall, as four teams from the Pac-12 join the new 16-team super conference. You can bet that long-running rivalries, like the one between Minnesota and Iowa will continue to reign supreme though.

Related: Minnesota Gophers QB Max Brosmer Makes Senior Bowl Watch List

The Big Ten opener vs Iowa won’t be the Gophers’ first quality opponent of 2024, but a Drake Maye-less North Carolina in week one, followed by matchups vs Rhode Island and Nevada in weeks two and three should give the Gophers a solid chance at 3-0 entering this primetime conference opener.

Minnesota vs Iowa – Who ya got?

Iowa struggled mightily to score points last season, and they relied on a stingy defense to elevate them. Tim Lester has been installed as the new offensive coordinator for the Hawkeyes and Michigan transfer Cade McNamara will attempt to show something other than ineptitude at the quarterback position.

Related: Iowa Fan Holds Sign at World Series Reading “It Wasn’t a Fair Catch”

Expecting better than a 12-10 result would be nice to see for the Gophers, and NBC certainly is hoping to produce a more exciting game. There is a level of hype surrounding Minnesota this season, but they’ll need to come out strong if they want to live up to expectations.

How did I do that, you ask? Well, it all started with an illegal screen set by a lady UConn Huskie, late in the women’s final four matchup mentioned above. Yes it was an illegal screen. An obvious illegal screen. Her legs were still moving and she stuck her elbow out. Obvious offensive foul.

What do we think? Moving Screen?pic.twitter.com/51wWoTrDe1

— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) April 6, 2024

The rest of Minnesota basketball twitter, however, did not agree at the time. Why, you ask? It looks pretty clearn and obvious, right? Why would they refuse to see what was so obvious during a game between Iowa and UConn? Well, because it ruined an opportunity for Hopkins’ own, Paige Bueckers, to hit a last-second game-winning shot.

Bueckers was a high school girls basketball phenom from the 2020 class, ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit in the entire country, at the time. No doubt the type of talent that could have put the Minnesota Gophers women’s basketball program back on the national map all by herself. A talent that, dare I say, could have brought the same type of Caitlin Clark phenom atmosphere to Dinkytown?

Paige Bueckers chose UConn over Minnesota… but don’t say it out loud.

But… that’s not what happened. Bueckers, like most other young basketball phenoms from this state, chose to play elsewhere, UConn, in here case. Shortly thereafter, following 20-wins in five of seven seasons between 2013 and 2019, the University of Minnesota women’s basketball program cratered. Good for her, you might say. Smart move, got out just at the right time, right?

I don’t necessarily disagree. Nonetheless, I used Twitter to remind people that Paige could have tried to do for for Minnesota what Caitlin Clark did for Iowa. Raise it to places it had never been before. Perfectly reasonable take, given the player Bueckers is.

Another reminder: Paige Bueckers could have done for Minnesota what Caitlin Clark did for Iowa.

She went to UConn instead.

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 6, 2024

Well… Twitter lost its mind.

So this kids an idiot alright https://t.co/4HOB8TOpld

— Joe‼️ (@Joe_Gusty) April 8, 2024

shut up bitch https://t.co/VPgb7GVeKh

— NØ LØV∑ D∑∑P W∏B (@RoscoesWetsuit0) April 7, 2024

Cool, she’ll probably get closer to heaven than I ever will. Now, how does this help the Gophers win more basketball games? Because I’m not a Paige Bueckers basketball fan (just being honest). I’m a Gophers fan.

Or should winning only matter to Paige and not Gophers fans?

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 7, 2024

Oh nah we not doing this

Paige Bueckers is a Minnesota legend and deserves to go wherever she wanna go https://t.co/oODw1wIhp1

— 🐺 NEW ERA (53-24) (@WolvesGotNext) April 7, 2024

Go ahead, dive into that mess… you won’t regret it. And let’s just be clear. I do not think Paige should have based her decision on anything other than what she wanted. This is America, after all. And the best part about living in this country is that you can make choices that are best for you, and feel good about them. Paige is going to be a top-5 draft pick, even after an injury-riddled college career. Things seem to have worked out just fine.

Why would I be a fan of UConn’s Paige Bueckers?

But that freedom works the other way, too. If you’re a Minnesota athlete who chooses to cold-shoulder the Gophers and play your college ball elsewhere, I won’t be cheering for you. Because, believe it or not, my Minnesota sports fandom is not based on former MN high school athletes.

Related: Ben Johnson on Hot Seat? Mark Coyle Angry Gophers Missed NCAA Tournament Again

Not Paige, or Chet Holmgren, Jalen Suggs… the Jones’ brothers from Apple Valley (except while Tyus played for the Wolves, that was fun). Want to know why? Because I am not a UConn fan, or Gonzaga fan, or Duke fan. By some people’s logic, I should be a huge Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball fan, since most of their team is from Lakeville.

But I’m not. I am a Minnesota sports fan ONLY. And if that hurts other Minnesota sports fans’ feelings… I guess they’ll have to get over it? Maybe don’t follow me on Twitter, if it bothers them that much? Because I’m obviously not interested in changing.

Another reminder: Tessa Johnson could have done for Minnesota what Caitlin Clark did for Iowa.

She went to South Carolina instead.

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 7, 2024

Anyway, happy Sunday to everyone except former D1 MN high school athletes who chose to play somewhere other than Dinkytown.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Cam Christie Earns Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors

Elijah Hawkins and Pharrel Payne got themselves into early foul trouble, but the Gophers didn’t skip a beat. Dawson Garcia and Mike Mitchell Jr calmly took the game into their hands and built up a 13-point lead by halftime.

Minnesota Gophers Dominate 1st half in Iowa

Garcia went 7-for-8 from the field and scored 18 points in the first 20 minutes. Mike Michell Jr went 3-for-5 from deep and added two free throws for 11 points of his own. As a team, the Gophers shot 55% from the field and 67% from deep. They could not have dreamed up a better 1st-half scenario.

Mike Mitchell hits b2b 3s from the same spot. 🔥🔥@HoopDreams2021 x @GopherMBB

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/jSsRVSQAvD

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 11, 2024

Yet somehow they came out of halftime even hotter than they went into it. This time, it was Cam Christie leading the charge, scoring 10 of the Gophers’ first 14 points in the 2nd half. With just over 14 minutes left, the Gophers held a 19 point lead.

But around that same time, Dawson Garcia fell to the floor after successfully blocking a shot on defense. He came out of the game shortly after and never returned. From that moment on, the Minnesota Gophers were not the same team.

Dawson Garcia leaves game; Gophers Blow 19-point lead

From the 14:20 mark to the 4:34 mark, Iowa outscored the Gophers 31 to 11 to take a one-point lead. When the final buzzer sounded, the scoreboard showed a 90-85 Iowa win and I sat witness to one of the most epic 2nd half Gophers meltdown in men’s basketball history. The refs deserve some blame. They were brutal and the 22-11 foul differential speaks for itself.

It’s difficult to blame the referees when you play as poorly as the Golden Gophers did during the 2nd half on Sunday. After the game, Ben Johnson didn’t have an update on Dawson Garcia’s injury, but told us after the game that Minnesota ‘lost its edge’ when he exited.

Just got out of Ben Johnson’s postgame presser. He had no update on Dawson Garcia, and said that without him tonight, the #Gophers ‘lost our edge’ in more ways than one. pic.twitter.com/1xcgBpwx8R

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) February 11, 2024

Carver-Hawkeye Arena was quiet for the entire 1st half, outside of a few fans screaming their dismay at Fran and his players, who could have heard a pin drop, let alone a rowdy season ticket holder from 25 yards away. This isn’t the first 2nd-half disaster of the season (remember what happened vs Mizzou?) but it has to be the most deflating.

Related: Gophers Legitimate Contenders for Double-Bye in Big Ten Tournament at Target Center

Instead of a four-game winning streak that sling-shots them up the NET rankings and into NCAA Tournament conversations, we’re left to wonder if Ben’s 2024 squad is in for a season-flattening disaster on Thursday night in West Lafayette vs Purdue.

Related: Gophers New QB Max Brosmer Had So Many Transfer Portal Suitors He Left Most on Read

Instead, it was former Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver, and current Carolina Panthers restricted free agent, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who was talking about how the Gophers recruited him back when he took a visit to Dinkytown as a high-schooler in 2017.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette accuses Fleck of over-pressuring him to commit in 2017

The picture ISM paints isn’t a good one. He says the Minnesota staff was very aggressive about trying to get his commitment on the spot, before he left town. So much so that they said, if he didn’t accept it now, it might not be there once he leaves campus.

Former Iowa WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette was verbally committed to the #Gophers for 2 days before signing with the Hawkeyes in 2017.

Very interesting look into what the recruiting process looked like from PJ Fleck and Minnesota.

🎥:(@menonmelrose)

pic.twitter.com/RSM9VlQnOy

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) January 25, 2024

“[Minnesota makes it seem like] everything is gonna be like tailor made just for you. And that’s just, that’s the talk to every single recruit and honestly how you gonna do that for every single recruit?

[PJ Fleck] is just like, ‘alright, now I get you in my office, it’s like, ‘hey listen, kid that really doesn’t know anything about anything, this offer is right here, right now. If you don’t take it, I can’t promise you it’s gonna be there if you walk out that door. And you know, being one of those kids that really don’t know anything, it’s like, ‘well if I don’t accept this, I don’t know what’s after this.’ You get what I’m saying?

And then you got your family in your ear talking about how this is the best thing for you, which you know, that’s a whole different conversation. It’s just tough, like hearing him basically like, ‘it’s us or nothing and everything’s gonna be great for you’. I don’t even know one kid from my class that went there and made it.”

Related: Minnesota Gophers Football Transfer Portal Tracker 2024

Can we get a fact-check, please?

Alright, so I have to interject here for a moment, before I continue Smith-Marsette’s transcript from this interview. Not to defend PJ Fleck, I’ll do that momentarily. I have to stop because ISM is just flat wrong on that last part.

2017 was Fleck’s first ever class at the University of Minnesota. While it certainly wasn’t PJ’s best class, it included collegiate successes like Tanner Morgan (all-time UofM passing leader), Mohamed Ibrahim (all-time UofM rushing leader), Blaise Andries and Chris Autman-Bell; not to mention alumni-turned NFLers like Esezi Otomewo, Boye Mafe and John-Michael Schmitz.

Our own John Michael Schmitz has made the 2023 NFL All-Rookie team.

Looking forward to seeing his progression with new OL coach Carmen Bricillo. #GIANTS #GMEN #NYGIANTS pic.twitter.com/vU1E0aVpDQ

— Chuck Knoxx (@chuckknoxx) January 19, 2024

The latter two were drafted in the first two days of their respective drafts. Not only that, but Minnesota’s next class (2018) included Rashod Bateman, Daniel Faalele, Brevyn Spann-Ford, Terrell Smith, Mariano Sori-Marin and Thomas Rush, among others.

Both the 2017 and 2018 classes were what launched the Gophers into their best season in program history, especially through the air (2019). That season helped make Rashod Bateman a 1st round pick and Tyler Johnson a 5th-rounder during the 2020 draft.

Smith-Marsette was drafted by the Vikings #157 overall one year later (2021). I’m not saying ISM is lying about what happened during his visit, but he’s wrong about how well Gophers wide receivers did while he was in school at Iowa.

Minnesota Gophers allegedly kept pushing ISM

Ihmir continues on and talks about how he ended up committing to Iowa. Long story-short, he got home and didn’t like how everything went down so he flipped on signing day and went with Iowa.

“I told [Fleck] I’ll commit and he was like, ‘alright’. I was just gonna tell him that and get on the flight back to New Jersey and just like not let anybody know that I’m committed there and stuff. But on my way to the bus, to go to the airport, they were just saying like, ‘hey, we got this photograph that we want you to post and let the whole world know [you are committed to Minnesota].

I was like, ‘I’ll post it when I get home,’ and it was just like, ‘OK.’ And then they stopped me and they’re like, ‘hey, we want you to put that out right now, just to let everybody know you’re coming here and you’re locked in here.’ And I just kept shaking it off.

I shook them off probably like 2-3 times and then finally, right before we’re about to leave, like everybody getting dropped off at the airport, they stopped the bus, they pulled me off and said, ‘yeah, go ahead and show us that you put that up so we could just like, you know, have everybody know that you’re committed.

I posted it on Twitter and I got home and I just sat down and was thinking like, ‘I really don’t wanna go there,’ and it was just [weighing] heavy on me. So I was like, ‘fuck it, I’m going to Iowa, that’s my choice’. Then I deleted the commitment [tweet] and signed with Iowa.”

Related: PJ Fleck, Gophers Have Turned in Multiple Rival Schools for Tampering

Interesting story… but…

It’s important to point out that the recruiting tactics allegedly used by Fleck’s staff back in 2017 are likely 100% different than how they recruit now. 2017 was pre transfer portal and pre NIL, etc, etc.

That doesn’t make anything right or wrong, it’s just the facts. It’s highly unlikely Fleck is pressuring anyone like what ISM said above, in today’s atmosphere.

Related: U of M Plans to Renovate Williams Arena; New Gophers Basketball Venue Unlikely

Iowa was upset on the road at Ohio State and a minor court storm took place afterwards, one that ended with a head-on collision between Clark and a random Buckeyes fan. In the video that originally went viral, Caitlin looks like she is completely bulldozed, a surprise collision that would probably send anyone to the ground.

Hard to believe this is a controversial topic.

You think Caitlin Clark, the best basketball player in the history of women’s basketball & the most recognized athlete in college right now, is flopping for attention?

You may be the one seeking attention.

Watch it real time. pic.twitter.com/zNMkEpkq0y

— Joe Hugen (@Joe_Hugen) January 22, 2024

Looks pretty ugly, right? From this angle, it looks like she got hit by a golf cart she didn’t see coming. Predictably, we immediately saw a segment of fans (and non-fans) calling for a strict ban on court and field storming in college athletics.

In the days that followed, teeth were mashed, articles written, videos made and even a full-length Netflix docuseries in the works (probably). How can we possibly stop this atrocity from happening in the future…

Did Caitlin Clark Flop?

But on Monday, more camera angles of the controversial collision have come to light and (shocker) they paint a much different picture of what happened in the seconds after the buzzer went off in Columbus Saturday afternoon.

Look at this flop job by Caitlin Clark to get sympathy pic.twitter.com/jylcHFtmDo

— JayMo (@crassiux) January 21, 2024

Related: Minnesota Gophers Basketball Game Today (M); TV Schedule, Channel and more

Yup, it was a flop. This entire thing, all the outrage, all the attention… for a flop. The above angle makes it undeniably clear that, at the least, Clark was able to brace for contact way earlier than what we had thought. In fact, it was the fan who got the worst part of the collision.

Poor girl was taking a selfie video and didn’t see Clark coming until contact had already been made. She, like Clark, crumpled to the floor. But unlike the Iowa superstar, Ohio State’s court storming fan dusted herself off, got back up and resumed her previous activities. She didn’t lay on the floor rhything in (fake) pain or have a press conference afterwards that got the entire sports world fearing for her safety

Woke up thinking about the young lady who was viciously attacked by Caitlin Clark. I hope she’s ok. pic.twitter.com/CfxklRbTZP

— Brandon Walker (@BFW) January 22, 2024

I’m not in the camp that thinks a frustrated Caitlin Clark was looking for a court stormer to lay out in frustration. I think it’s undeniable, however, that her fall to the ground and the circus show that followed were… let’s say… over-exaggerated.

Running off the court after colliding with an Ohio State fan, Caitlin Clark was leaning on her teammates. pic.twitter.com/rNnb7odyGF

— Lantern Sports (@LanternSports) January 21, 2024

Yet, Minnesota still hasn’t cracked the top-75 (not a typo) in either the NET (85) or KenPom (78) rankings. We’ve already discussed why they rank as low as they do and how, in theory, they can climb. But looking at the schedule, it’s nearly time to make theory into reality.

Related: Despite All the Winning, Gophers MBB Struggling in Rankings

The Gophers play their first of a four-game Big Ten stretch on Friday night vs the Indiana Hoosiers. By the time it ends on January 23, we (and the rankings systems) will have a much better idea of how good Ben Johnson’s 2023-24 squad really is.

Make that 7️⃣ wins in a row for @GopherMBB. 😤

Relive the best moments from the Gophers’ 65-62 win over Maryland! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/qZZWWkQKtY

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 10, 2024

Friday, Jan. 12: Gophers @ Indiana Hoosiers (11-5)

The Minnesota Gophers are set to visit Bloomington, Indiana, marking only their third road game of the season. Much like the Gophers, the Hoosiers have had a solid start to their season but remain mostly unproven. They have an 11-5 overall record (3-2 in the Big Ten).

Indiana currently ranks No. 100 in the NET Rankings, 15 spots behind Minnesota. A victory on the road in Bloomington alone wouldn’t significantly impact the Gophers’ standing in the NET, but there are ways for them to help themselves.

First, it’s a true Big Ten road game, which the NET likes. But beyond that, the Gophers can play efficient basketball on both ends of the floor, which is also NET friendly. If they do that, there’s a good possibility they secure victory by 10 points or more, a margin the NET also holds as valuable.

Related: Gophers MBB Grabs Another Early Season Big Ten Win vs Maryland

But most importantly, they’d stack another win, which would give them a 4-1 record and their best start to conference play since 2008-’09, under Tubby Smith.

Monday, Jan. 15: Minnesota vs Iowa Hawkeyes (9-6)

Staying in the spotlight and securing strong NET and KenPom rankings involves winning the games you’re expected to, particularly when playing at home. The Gophers will face a very middling Iowa Hawkeyes squad at The Barn on Monday.

This is a should-win game for the Gophers, if they want to maintain their momentum early in conference play and, especially, if they want to climb the NET rankings Tuesday morning. The 9-6 (1-3) Hawkeyes currently rank 67th in the NET, giving the Gophers yet another opportunity to stack conference wins before the schedule really starts to test Ben’s inexperienced team.

Thursday, Jan. 18: Minnesota vs Michigan State Spartans (9-7)

The Michigan State Spartans may not have had the ideal start they hoped for, but there’s a reason why, at 9-6, they rank in the top-25 of the NET. They’ve had one of the toughest schedules in this year’s college basketball season, a slate that has included losses to Duke (#13 NET), Arizona (#2), Wisconsin (#12) and Illinois (#11). Even James Madison (#59), who beat the Spartans in their season opener, is now 15-1.

Related: Buy the Right Brand of Bacon in January and 100% Goes to Gophers NIL Fund

Michigan State has one victory against top-tier competition, beating Baylor (#14) back on December 16. Under the leadership of Tom Izzo, the Spartans currently hold a 1-3 record in the Big Ten and an overall record of 9-6. A win next week in East Lansing would see Minnesota start to skyrocket up the NET rankings.

Keep winning and March Madness will come calling

If the Gophers can sweep these next three games or at least win two of three, they will set themselves up for a massive border rivalry game on Jan 23 vs the #12 Wisconsin Badgers. Ben Johnson and the Gophers have a huge opportunity at the Barn on Jan 23.

They have some tremendous opportunities coming up and have chance to give themselves some more national attention. Winning conference is the key to boosting there ranking and March Madness resume.

Iowa fan holds sign at World Series reading “It wasn’t a fair catch”

Iowa fans still mad – "It wasn't a fair catch" 😂 pic.twitter.com/IKZ6j7Ip2q

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) October 31, 2023

In all fairness to this Hawkeye fan, he’s right. The Cooper DeJean did not legally signal for a fair catch during the punt return that never happened between the Minnesota Gophers and Iowa Hawkeyes this season. The waving he did with his left arm, before catching that punt, triggered an invalid fair catch signal.

I’m not going to get into the weeds because this happened two weeks ago. We’ve already covered that invalid fair catch from all angles. Unlike this dude, we’ve moved on with our lives.

But, if you have not moved on with yours OR if you’re a Houston Astros / Texas Rangers fan that has no idea why some loser Iowa fan is holding a dumb sign behind home plate tonight, here’s all (seriously everything) you need to catch up on the situation.

• Fleck Finally Beats Ferentz the Hawkeye Way – 3 Takeaways from Minnesota vs Iowa
• Cooper DeJean Invalid Fair Catch was Correct Call But Kirk Ferentz is Crying Anyway
• PJ Fleck Very Passionate About How Noncontroversial an Invalid Fair Catch Ruling is
• Tyreek Hill Weighs in on Cooper DeJean Invalid Fair Catch vs Minnesota

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Related: Fleck Finally Beats Ferentz the Hawkeye Way – 3 Takeaways from Minnesota vs Iowa

Brian Ferentz out as Iowa offensive coordinator?

Word is starting to float around on Iowa football message boards, one via a credentialed Hawkeye media member Adam Jacobi of Iowa Rivals.com that Brian Ferentz is on his way out in Iowa City.

The only question, according to Jacobi’s sources, is whether or not it will happen now, next week or at the end of the season. Speaking for all Gopher fans, let’s hope they hang onto the dream as long as possible…

🚨BREAKING ! 🚨
Reliable sources tell MBG that Brian Ferentz is out at #Iowa. pic.twitter.com/qSuASyqQJC

— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) October 30, 2023

247Sports has since confirmed with their own sources that Ferentz will not return as Hawkeyes OC in 2024.

Rumors began swirling on Sunday afternoon that Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz would step down following the 2023 season. On Monday, multiple sources reached out to HawkeyeInsider and confirmed that Brian Ferentz is not expected to return for the 2024 season.

David Eickholt – HawkeyeInsider.com (247Sports)

The Iowa offense has never been known for being prolific but, in recent years, the Hawkeyes have brought a new low to Big Ten West offensive reputation, which is saying something.

Related: PJ Fleck Very Passionate About How Noncontroversial an Invalid Fair Catch Ruling is

Hawkeyes offense brutal under Ferentz

In 2023, Iowa ranks dead last of 133 FBS schools in the country, with 232 yards per game, which is over 20 yards less than the 2nd-worst offense, which belongs to Eastern Michigan.

They also rank 120th in points per game (19.5) and 131st in passing yards per game (116.5). If you expand the sample size, Brian Ferentz’ offenses get even more embarrassing.

In Brian Ferentz’s last 5 seasons as Iowa’s offensive coordinator the Hawkeyes threw for fewer TDs (50) than Joe Burrow threw in his senior year at LSU (60)

Over 200 college QBs have thrown for more TDs in a single season than Iowa has since 2020 (34)

— Cyclone Larry (@CycloneLarry69) October 30, 2023

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Tyreek Hill weighs in on Cooper DeJean invalid fair catch

Related: PJ Fleck Very Passionate About How Noncontroversial an Invalid Fair Catch Ruling is

Especially Hawkeye fans, whose delusion has reached levels of such insanity that they literally refuse to accept or understand the difference between an invalid and valid fair catch. But one of football’s most electric talents has weighed in on the topic and, surprise, he confirmed the obvious.

Cooper DeJean called “PETER” and waved off the 4th quarter noncontroversial punt last weekend and, by rule, the ball was immediately dead when he touched it.

Once the punt returner says “PETER” the ball is dead . All return specialist know this 🫣 https://t.co/8sZCavRydP

— Ty Hill (@cheetah) October 27, 2023

Time to move on…

You’d think Hill’s words of wisdom on this topic would convince Invalid Punt Return deniers of what most of us already know. Referees in the Iowa vs Minnesota game made the correct call on Saturday, for once.

PJ Fleck’s Gophers, whether the Iowa fanbase can do the same or not, must turn the page on what happened last weekend and focus on a contest this weekend vs the Michigan State Spartans that is of equal importance.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan