Iowa Hawkeyes undefeated streak on the line vs. Minnesota

The Iowa Hawkeyes haven’t always done it with flair, but they have managed to put themselves in really good position to make this year’s CFB Playoff, currently ranked 5th in the polls heading down the home stretch of this season.

Iowa’s not been flashy really all year but they are one of the most consistent teams in the country on defense and they know how to finish games. The same could not be said of Hawkeye teams in recent years. Quarterback C.J. Beathard is undefeated in nine starts this season as Iowa’s quarterback, and won his only start of the 2014 season, making him the first QB in Iowa history to win his first 10 starts.

But anyone who watches the Hawkeyes knows that it’s not just the right arm of C.J. Beathard that has this team undefeated, it’s the play of Thorpe Award finalist Desmond King at cornerback, and the speed of linebackers Josey Jewell and Cole Fisher. It’s the hard-hitting, fearless play of safety Jordan Lomax and the always well-coached offensive line. It’s the running game, which has four different backs that have run for a touchdown this season.

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It’s the three different receivers that have 100-yard games, and tight ends like George Kittle who come out of nowhere to make one-handed catches.

Iowa is full of opportunists and overachievers, which every good Kirk Ferentz team has been, but this team has a different feel to it. Rather than being ‘lucky’ to win some games as people might think, Iowa has won with force, taking the ball away from teams, playing disciplined football late in games and proving that they are worthy of a top spot in this CFB mix.

In the 11th week of the college football season (how are we here already?!) Iowa is set to take on the Minnesota Gophers, who are 4-5 this season. The Gophers are taking on their third straight AP Top 15 opponent after losing to Ohio State last week and Michigan the week before.

The Gophers, who are now coached by Tracy Claeys, have had a tough time with Iowa in the history of the Floyd of Rosedale game, losing 10 of the last 14 matchups and six in Iowa City.

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Saturday night’s game is a chance for the Gophers to move closer to becoming bowl eligible, but more importantly, to play for pride and be the team that knocked off a top five opponent. That’s one reason why it’s so scary to be in Iowa’s position at this point — teams are gunning for you. The Hawkeyes have to keep their focus and play their game in order to beat the motivated Gophers, which only lost to Ohio State by 14 points and Michigan by three.

If Iowa is going to remain undefeated, it will be the same formula we’ve seen all year: Big plays from the passing game when they are needed, a steady running game with a dominant offensive line, and a defense that is stingy and takes the ball away. The Hawkeyes need to keep playing that game if they want to move to 10-0 this season and keep their spot atop the Big Ten, and then they just have to wait for another team in the top four of the CFB playoff to slip up.

It’s been debated during Iowa’s undefeated streak of whether or not this is a team worthy of a CFB playoff spot with a seemingly easy schedule, but they can’t be worried about that this week. This week is about beating Minnesota, and Kirk Ferentz will have his team prepared to get it done at home.

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