Minnesota Football: 2017 game-by-game predictions
By Shane Lunnen
The Floyd of Rosedale will be on the line as Minnesota and Iowa meet in Iowa City in late October. The Hawkeyes have won four out of the last five meetings between the schools.
Iowa struggled offensively last season and looks to improve this year. Running back Akrum Wadley returns after rushing for over 1,000 yards in 2016. Iowa is breaking in a new starting quarterback, with that battle between Matt VandeBerg and Jerminic Smith still unsettled in fall camp. The experienced receivers will need to help their new signal caller.
The defense is going to be very good, especially in the front seven. All three starting linebackers are back, including senior Josey Jewell. He led the team a year ago in tackles with 124. Three out of the four starters along the defensive front are back. In the secondary, it will be a challenge to replace all-conference cornerback Desmond King.
For Minnesota, the last five games brings a step up in competition and I believe the Gophers will struggle to win close games. Iowa is always tough to beat at home and they’ll have an edge again over the Gophers. It will be a slow, prodding type of Big Ten game with Wadley scoring the game winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter.