5 players to watch when Iowa football hosts Minnesota

IOWA CITY — The Floyd of Rosedale trophy is up for grabs this week.

Time to put the excitement and relief from the Week 8 comeback win over Penn State to rest, because Minnesota (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) is fresh off a top 25 upset over Nebraska. Now, there’s a rivalry football game with bowl eligibility on the table for both teams.

Iowa (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) has won 10 of the last 11 game inside Kinnick Stadium against Minnesota, and has a 45-43-2 all-time record against the Golden Gophers.

“Their team never beats itself — disciplined, physical, consistent,” Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck said. “It’s like they just plug and replace: same body type, same effort, same system — and they win.”

Here are five players to keep an eye out for who could impact which team takes home the bronze trophy Saturday afternoon.

QB Drake Lindsey

Since taking over for now-Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, starting quarterback Drake Lindsey has replicated a similar pass-heavy offense.

With 10 passing touchdowns and nearly 1,500 yards recorded, the Golden Gophers are enjoying a short-distance but highly effective passing game. The longest ball Lindsey’s thrown this season was a 78-yard completion against Rutgers — which also happened to be his best game of the season.

Lindsey’s been picked off three times and hasn’t had a multi-interception game yet. He’s averaging a 62-percent completion rate, but is by far most successful inside the pocket.

The signal caller’s run game this season hasn’t had much success. He’s recorded a loss of 34 yards, but has two rushing touchdowns.

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DB John Nestor

Though the defensive line stole the show against Nebraska, the Golden Gophers have defensive back John Nestor in the secondary. Currently leading Minnesota in interceptions, Nestor has picked off three passes and had five breakups already this year.

And yes, he’s a former Hawkeye, too. After two seasons at Iowa, this is Nestor’s first year with the Golden Gophers. He recorded just one tackle against his current team last year.

Nestor’s three interceptions this year have all been returned, including an 8-yard return he had against Nebraska last week.

DL Karter Menz

Fresh off his best game of the season, defensive lineman Karter Menz recorded season-highs in almost every statistical category he had against Nebraska. He had 2.5 sacks, accumulating a loss of 15 yards for the Cornhuskers, a quarterback hurry and seven tackles.

“Karter’s getting better every week,” Fleck said.“ He’s just scratching the surface of how good he can be. This is only the beginning.”

His 2.5 sacks was tied for most among the Golden Gophers in the nine sack frenzy, alongside Anthony Smith.

RB Darius Taylor

In his second season as a starting running back, Darius Taylor leads the Golden Gophers with 353 rushing yards, but only one rushing touchdown this season.

Taylor averages 70 yards per game, and has only played in five games. Though he hasn’t found the end zone often this year, the Golden Gophers have seven players — including Lindsey — with at least one rushing touchdown.

Taylor scored a touchdown in all but four games last season — Iowa was one of those four. He recorded 34 yards on just 10 carries against the Hawkeyes.

DL Anthony Smith

The other defensive lineman to pick up 2.5 sacks against Nebraska, Anthony Smith also leads Minnesota in that category with nine. He’s explosive off the line of scrimmage, and standing at 6-foot-6, 285 pounds, he’s recorded a half-sack in all but two games this year.

Smith only recorded two tackles against Iowa last year. He broke into the starting lineup three times that season, too, but has recorded at least an assisted tackle in every game but Ohio State this year.

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