Instant Takeaways From Iowa Football's Loss To Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS - The Iowa-Minnesota rivalry often brings out some of the most ugly football games the eyes can see, and that was certainly the case in Minneapolis on Saturday. 

The Hawkeyes and Gophers played a hard-fought, turnover-filled slugfest for 60 minutes at Huntington Bank Stadium, but at the end of the day, somebody had to win the football game. 

That someone was Minnesota, who used a 39-yard completion in the waning seconds to set up a game-winning field goal and 13-10 Gopher victory. This was Minnesota's first win over Iowa at home since 2014, ending a dominant run from the Hawkeyes in Minneapolis.

The Hawkeyes drop to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play with the loss, while the Gophers improve to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in league play with the victory. 

Here are some instant observations from Iowa's loss. 

Iowa's offense certainly started bad, but it definitely didn't get any better in the first half and that was in part because of Hecklinski's struggles under center. The third-year was throwing darts throughout the Washington game, but it's possible the bye week allowed some rust to develop on his game. Hecklinski went just 9-for-16 for 62 yards and an interception in the first half. His worst miss came at the midway point of the half. Wide receiver Tony Diaz found himself behind the Gopher secondary, but Hecklinski's pass was too far in front of him and the Hawkeyes were forced to punt. 

Iowa's first break of the game came when Deshaun Lee intercepted an aired Drake Lindsey pass and took it all the way down to the 10-yard line. This type of situation has been an automatic score for the Hawkeyes under Tim Lester, but not in this spot. The usually-dependable Trevor Lauck committed two false start penalties to essentially kill the possession before it had a chance to begin, and Iowa had to settle for a 3-3 tie instead of a momentum-changing touchdown.

Though the red zone failure was not all on Hecklinski, the offense was sputtering enough to the point where Kirk Ferentz opted to go with backup Hank Brown near the end of the second quarter.  

There was always a chance Brown would come in this game if Hecklinski struggled, but some Iowa fans were shocked to see Brown replace Hecklinski before halftime. The quarterback change was probably warranted at that point, but it didn't yield the results the Hawkeyes hoped. Brown went 11-for-21 for 136 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions (one was a drop that deflected into Minnesota's hands) and the offense didn't fare any better with him under center. 

Until the end of the fourth that is. Iowa looked dead in the water after Reece Vander Zee dropped a pass that fell into Minnesota's lap, but he redeemed himself on the next drive. A 57-yard catch and run from Diaz on a slant pattern set the Hawks up, and Vander Zee redeemed himself a few plays later for a 37-yard score to tie the game, 10-10. 

Brown had one final chance to lead Iowa down the field, but in what would ultimately be a microcosm of this game, tight end DJ Vonnahme slipped on his route (the ball wasn't great, either), and the Gophers responded by driving down for the winning field goal. 

The Hawkeyes struggled to contain Minnesota's offense on the opening drive of the second half, but they appeared to have an incredible goal line stand after Lindsey's pass fell incomplete. The bad news? A yellow marker was down on the field, and it turned out that defensive back Jaylen Watson was woefully lined up offside, allowing the Gophers to get a fresh set of downs and punch it in on the next play. This was one of many penalties that killed Iowa on the day, and it finished with six penalties for 27 yards. That's going to be something that Ferentz and Co. will want to clean up. 

Minnesota came into this game with one of the worst statistical run defenses in the Big Ten, but you wouldn't have known that on Saturday. Moulton going down in the first half with an arm injury certainly didn't help Iowa's chances, but the Hawkeyes ran into a brick wall each time they tried to run, finishing with 90 yards on 30 carries. 

The Hawkeyes return to action next Saturday, October 31, for a matchup against rival Wisconsin. The Badgers are 4-2 on the year and have a crucial home game against No. 16 USC later tonight. 

Kickoff from Kinnick Stadium is set for 11 a.m. local time on FOX.