LIVE FROM TCF BANK STADIUM: Mike Hlas' updates from Iowa-Minnesota football

Iowa starts at Iowa 33, Coker gets belted free of the ball from Stoudermire on Iowa's first play after a 12-yard gain, fumble lost with 4:15 left.

Gophers gain 59 yards on two plays, then push to a 1st-and-goal to the 6, then Duane Bennett runs the six yards for six points. Touchdown. Minnesota 27-24 with 4:31 left. At least Iowa doesn't need a two-minute offense here.

Iowa punts from its own 39 ... Minnesota starts at UM 23 with 7:36 left.

More good field-position for the Gophers after returning the short kickoff to the UM 39.

Iowa went 70 yards in 8 plays, Stanzi-to-McNutt for 18 yards and a touchdown. Iowa 24-20 with 11:35. Meyer made the PAT despite slipping and falling after his follow-through.

Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" blaring on the stadium p.a. between quarters. I wouldn't have guessed it, but the home fans are having fun here entering the fourth quarter.

Iowa 50 rushing yards through 3 quarters.

FOURTH QUARTER (above)

Huge break for Iowa. Minnesota was driving, but fumbled the ball away at the Iowa 30. A 21-yard pass to DJK is the last play of the third quarter, with Iowa at the Minn. 49.

Gophers drove to Iowa 49, then punted. Iowa ball with 3:43 left in 3rd at Iowa 14.

Iowa stalled out on its next drive after getting to its 48. Minny begins at its 18 with 7:34 left in 3rd. And this is a weird game.

The second-half is not following the first-half's script. Both teams have one possession, one punt.

Here's what the teams are pursuing:

THIRD QUARTER.

So ... I'd pick Iowa to win now at halftime with a gun to my head to make a choice. For a hundred bucks, though ... hey, I never bet a hundred bucks on anything.

Halftime stats of note: Minnesota 202 yards, Iowa 103. ... Minnesota 5.7 yards per rush, Iowa 3.3. ... Four Gophers have 26 or more rushing yards. ... Iowa with 39 rushing yards against a team that allows 200 per game. ... Jeremiah Hunter, though having missed a little of the game to injury, leads Iowa in tackles with seven.

HALFTIME

Iowa drive starts at its 41. Drove to Minn. 17, then Mike Meyer kicked a 35-yard field goal. Minn. 20-17 with :50 left in half.

The field is slick. Slippery.

Minnesota drove from its 37 to the Iowa 18, and Ellestad kicked a 35-yard field goal. Minnesota 20-14 with 5:35 left in half. Yes, Minnesota has four scores in one half against the Iowa defense.

After I wrote the following paragraph, Johnson-Koulianos took the kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown, and it's 17-14. DJK. What a concept.

One more time for this:

This is something different from Iowa. This is sheer bungling so far. A long way to go, and a Minnesota defense ripe for the taking, but you cannot play like this against anyone, let alone an opponent that is excited to be playing this game.

Minnesota stopped, punts, Iowa fumbles on its first play at the Minn. 23 on a bad snap-exchange from James Ferentz to Stanzi. Gophers go 23 yards in 3 plays, TOUCHDOWN. Minnesota 17-7 with 12:16 left in half.

Stanzi to DJK for 7 yards and a touchdown. Minn. 10-7 seven seconds into the second quarter. Ferentz had a warm welcome back to the sideline for DJK.

SECOND QUARTER (ABOVE)

Iowa's first possession after 22 Minnesota plays: Began at Iowa 30. Quarter ends with Iowa facing 2nd-and-goal at the 8 following four plays of 10 to 12 yards. One was a Stanzi keeper, the other three were passes to Sandeman, Reisner and Davis.

Minnesota onside kick as pretty as any you'll ever see, and Gophers get a second possession before Iowa has its first. Then Minny pounded it downfield, and QB MarQueis Gray left the Iowa defense for dead on a 14-yard keeper for a TD. It's Minnesota 10, Iowa coming to bat, 5:44 left in first.

 Gophers missed an open receiver in the end zone on 1st-down from just outside the 10. But those were still the first Minnesota points vs. Iowa since 2007.

 A Minnesota assistant coach or somebody in short sleeves was pretty fired up after a Gopher 18-yard pass to the Iowa 42 ... Gophers went 11 plays, 58 yards, a 27-yard Eric Ellestad FIELD GOAL. Minny 3-nil with 10"15 left in 1st.

FIRST QUARTER (ABOVE)

OK, the stadium is filling in ... somewhat. The east end zone is motstly empty metal bleachers with snow underneath them.

For the fourth-straight Saturday, I see Seniors Day ceremonies at an Iowa game. Indiana, Northwestern, Iowa, Minnesota. I give Gopher seniors credit. They haven't tasted anything resembling great success. They got recruited by one coach, and played for another who got fired in midseason. That's not fun.

Apparently not starting for the Iowa Hawkeyes today: Wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. Why? One can only imagine. Maybe it's a tribute to senior WR Colin Sandeman and not a disciplinary thing for DJK.

Oh my God. It's 18 minutes until kickoff, and the stadium is sparsely populated. This is an Iowa-Minnesota game. A new stadium. I'm not exaggerating. There can't be 10,000 people in the stadium.

I realize it's cold and many people will come in as late as possible. But this is jarring.

And here we are. I shall update throughout the day.

Don't be alarmed by the photo below, Iowa fans. It's just something from a bygone era.