Late Turnovers Costly as Gophers Fall to Iowa 13-10
November 19, 2022

“We did everything but win the game,” said Minnesota coach P. J. Fleck after a 13-10 loss to Iowa in Minneapolis. “Iowa doesn’t beat themselves. They force you to beat yourself.”

Beating themselves included a missed 34-yard field goal that would have tied the game in the first half, a fumble by Mohammed Ibrahim on Iowa’s nine-yard line with 5:07 left in the fourth quarter and the score 10-10, and an interception thrown by Athan Kaliakmanis soon after that set up the Hawkeyes’ game-winning field goal with 28 seconds left.

“Not one play ever loses you the game,” said Fleck, “but if you do it over and over and over, you get beat by having those plays.”

Minnesota outgained Iowa 399 to 280 in yards from scrimmage, 312 yards on the ground against a defense that has been stingy against the run. Ibrahim’s fumble marred his otherwise marvelous game, in which he rushed for 263 yards, 175 of them in the second half. “One play will never define how he plays in a game, ever,” said Fleck. “I mean we wouldn’t be anywhere near a program like we are right now if it wasn’t for Mohamed Ibrahim.”

Minnesota had its hopes ended for a Big Ten West championship and a trip to the conference title game. Iowa put itself in the driver’s seat and will earn the trip to face the winner of the Big Ten East with a win next week in its finale, at home against Nebraska. The Hawkeyes have now won four straight games after losing three of their first four in the Big Ten.

Iowa drove for scores on its first two possessions after Minnesota punts. On Iowa’s first play from scrimmage, Spencer Petras survived a blitz with a short pass over the rush to standout tight-end Sam LaPorta, who rumbled 58 yards to the Minnesota 21, setting up a 38-yard field goal by Drew Stevens.

The Hawkeyes next mounted a 12-play drive, one that included a 24-yard pass from Petras to LaPorta, and completed the 66-yard journey on a one-yard sneak by Petras for a 10-0 lead.

“When we have a combination of starting slow offense and starting slow defense, I don’t care who you are in the country, that’s not a good recipe,” said Fleck. The recipe was even tougher against Iowa, which has given up more than 10 points in a game three times this year.

Minnesota finally connected on its next drive, one that required Kaliakmanis to retire to the sidelines for a couple plays because of a concussion protocol. Cole Kramer entered, handed off once, and kept the ball for a gain of one, leaving the Gophers with a third-and-five at their own 47. Kaliakmanis returned and hit Daniel Jackson for a gain to the Iowa 24. Passes to Le’Meke Brockington and Ibrahim got the ball to the 5, and Ibrahim ran it in from there.

The Gophers again drove deep on their next possession, but Iowa’s mid-season All-America linebacker, Jack Campbell, pressured Kaliakmanis into an incomplete pass, one that was nearly intercepted, on third-and-one at the Iowa 16. Fleck opted to not try again on fourth down and sent in placekicker Matthew Trickett to tie the game in the final minute of the half. However, Trickett missed a 34-yard field goal, and Iowa held its 10-7 lead.

The Minnesota defense had stiffened after allowing the 10 points, and its offense mounted a 76-yard drive that culminated in a 27-yard field goal by Trickett to tie the game late in the third quarter.

In the final period, the Gophers twice started on their own 3-yard line. The first drive ended with a punt but the next went 16 plays deep into Iowa territory. Kaliakmanis had one incompletion on the drive but also ran for 19 yards on a third-and-three. The rest was Ibrahim, who ran the ball 14 times. On the last one, as he stretched for a first down inside the 10, Campbell knocked the ball loose, and it was recovered by lineman Deontae Craig on the 9 with 5:07 left.

The Hawkeys went nowhere and punted, giving the Gophers the ball at their own 45 and just over four minutes left. Runs by Ibrahim and Trey Potts put Minnesota at the Iowa 33 and a third-and-seven. Kaliakmanis went to Brockington, who was hit by Riley Moss as the ball arrived. It caromed into Campbell’s arms, and the linebacker returned it 30 yards to the Minnesota 45, right where the drive had started.

After stagnating play since the first quarter, Petras immediately found another tight-end target, Luke Lachey, over the middle for 33 yards. From the Minnesota 12, Iowa ran the ball three times, forcing the Gophers to use their final two timeouts, and Stevens was good from 21 yards out with 28 seconds left to put the Hawkeyes back in front 13-10.

Kaliakmanis scrambled for nine yards but missed on three passes, giving the ball back to the Hawkeyes for a kneel-down by Petras to end the game.

After an encouraging win at Michigan State to start conference play, the Gophers have lost four of their last seven to even their Big Ten record at 4-4. Minnesota completes its regular season at Wisconsin next week.

Gopher Holes: The game had no penalties and was turnover-free for nearly the first 55 minutes. An announced crowd of around 45,000 shivered through the cold afternoon.

The game-time temperature was 17 degrees with a 20-mile-per-hour wind out of the northwest. All of the points in the game were scored at the east end of the field.

Iowa won its eighth straight game against Minnesota.