The Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-1) are set to host their border rival Iowa Hawkeyes (2-1) at Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday night for NBC’s “Big Ten Saturday Night” special.
There’s nothing like kicking off conference play against a longtime rival, as both teams each have one game they wish they could have a do-over with. The Gophers lost their Week 1 matchup to North Carolina on a missed game-winning field goal 19-17 and Iowa lost their Week 2 game against in-state rival Iowa State on a last-second, game-winning field goal 20-19.
The Gophers are looking to win consecutive games against Iowa for the first time since 2010-11. Minnesota has the edge in the all-time series, 63-52-2, but the Hawkeyes have won the past eight of nine matchups.
Related: Gophers’ P.J. Fleck readies team for primetime matchup vs. Iowa
Minnesota has shut out its past two opponents, winning 40-0 against Rhode Island and 27-0 against Nevada. Meanwhile, Iowa shut out Illinois State 40-0, lost by one to Iowa State and defeated Troy 38-21 last weekend.