IOWA CITY – The Iowa Hawkeye football team has achieved a feat it had never accomplished before: Won its tenth game in a row to open a season.
Iowa faced its oldest nemesis Saturday night in a blacked-out Kinnick Stadium in order to reach this lofty perch and was able to squeak by the Minnesota Golden Gophers 40-35.
The game featured little defense but from Iowa’s perspective, solid, long, grinding drives on offense was the bright spot.
Iowa moves to (10-0, 6-0) while Minnesota drops to (4-6, 1-5).
The Hawkeyes host Purdue on Saturday, Nov. 21 at Kinnick Stadium with an 11 AM kickoff on ESPN2.
More from the game:
The Hawkeyes are 10-0 for the first time in school history. Since 2000, only three Big Ten schools have opened the season 10-0 (Iowa, 2015; Ohio State, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, Michigan: 2006).
Iowa is 6-0 in the Big Ten for the second time under Kirk Ferentz (2002, 8-0).
Iowa has won 11 of the last 15 meetings against Minnesota, including the last seven in Iowa City.
The Hawkeyes had a season-high 506 total yards (272 rushing, 234 passing).
The Hawkeyes took possession of the Floyd of Rosedale trophy. Iowa is 3-0 in trophy games this season. The Hawkeyes defeated Iowa State, 31-17, in the battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy on Sept. 12, and Wisconsin, 10-6, for the Heartland Trophy on Oct. 3.
Iowa has scored 30-plus points in four straight Big Ten games for the first time in school history. The Hawkeyes have scored 30-plus points seven times this season.
Iowa scored on all four first half possessions (3 TDs, 1 FG). The Hawkeyes totaled 290 yards of offense in the first half, 132 on the ground and 158 passing.
The Hawkeyes had two touchdown drives of 90-plus yards in the first half (91, 97). They have five 90-plus yard touchdown drives this season.
The Hawkeyes had 272 rushing yards to the Gophers 133. The team with the most rushing yards has won 10 of the last 11 meetings in the series.
Iowa improved to 8-4 in night games at Kinnick Stadium (2-0 in 2015).
QB C.J. Beathard is 11-0 as Iowa’s starting quarterback, a record that includes a 5-0 mark on the road, a 6-0 mark at home, and a 7-0 mark in the Big Ten. Numbers include 180-of-304 passing for 2,289 yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions, and 297 yards rushing with six rushing touchdowns. He is the only quarterback in school history to win his first 10 career starts.
QB C.J. Beathard rushed for 50 yards on 10 carries, including two touchdowns, his fifth and sixth rushing touchdowns of the season.
RB LeShun Daniels rushed for a career-high 195 yards and three touchdowns (3, 2, 51). Daniels has six touchdowns in the last three weeks. He had one rushing touchdown in 16 previous games. Today was his second career 100-yard rushing game (123 vs. Illinois State).
TE George Kittle had a career-best five receptions.
WR Matt VandeBerg had a team-best six receptions for 74 yards. VandeBerg has six or more receptions in six games.
PK Marshall Koehn scored 10 points today. Koehn has 151 career points, passing Albert Young for 17th all-time.
WR Tevaun Smith had two catches for 35 yards. Both catches were first downs. Seventeen of his 19 catches this season have gone for first down. He moved from 28th to 26th on Iowa’s all-time list for receiving yards (1,297), passing Bill Schultz and Dallas Clark. Smith completed the first pass of his career, a 21-yarder to WR Matt VandeBerg.
DB Desmond King’s 58-yard kickoff return in the third quarter was a career long.
LB Josey Jewell had a team-high 13 tackles, one sack, and one pass break up. SS Miles Taylor matched his career-high with eight stops.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz has 125 wins as a member of the Big Ten Conference, eighth all-time. Ferentz has 74 Big Ten wins, eighth all-time.
Minnesota won the toss and elected to receive. Iowa kicked off to open the game for the second time this season (won at Wisconsin). In 17 seasons as Iowa’s head coach, Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes have started the game on defense in 40-of-210 games (22-18).
ICYMI: A Look Back at How the Hawkeyes Became 10-0 in Kinnick Stadium on Saturday Night https://t.co/LIulZpmvSn
— The Iowa Hawkeyes (@TheIowaHawkeyes) November 15, 2015
Oink, Oink. https://t.co/eD4sYpMSrg
— The Iowa Hawkeyes (@TheIowaHawkeyes) November 15, 2015
VIDEO: Iowa C Austin Blythe following Iowa's 40-35 win against Minnesota. https://t.co/AhsF5mBFBO
— The Iowa Hawkeyes (@TheIowaHawkeyes) November 15, 2015
