Iowa 40, Minnesota 35

The Gophers fell to Iowa 40-35 tonight in Iowa City.  The Gophers fall to 4-6 on the season.  The Gophers will need to win their final 2 games to become bowl eligible.  Injuries, poor officiating and uncharacteristically sub-par tackling did them in tonight.  I have to admit, I was hoping for a better performance out of the Gophers this season, but their schedule is brutal (5 of those 6 losses have been against ranked teams), their coach had to retire and injuries have decimated them this year.  On the bright side, there are lots of building blocks getting valuable playing time, recruiting is going well and next years schedule is much easier.

Observations:

• Mitch Leidner has surprisingly become a nice passing QB. 
• Was Jerry Kill holding back Matt Limegrover? 
• I loved that Shannon Brooks to Drew Wolitarsky TD pass! 
• K.J. Maye has become a pretty good WR. 
• Shannon Brooks played well in his first collegiate start. 
• Rodrick Williams Jr has fresh legs!  
• The Gopher defense just couldn't get off the field on 3rd down.
• Lots of missed tackles by the Gophers tonight.  
• Brandon Lingen has been a revelation at TE this season. 
• Steven Richardson & Scott Ekpe were sorely missed in this game. 
• Penalties:  Minnesota 10 for 72 yards; Iowa 4 for 50 yards. 
• Time of Possession:  Iowa 35:32; Minnesota 24:28  
• I once again wasn't impressed by the B1G officiating.  Call it both ways!
• Tyler Moore has really impressed me, he's going to be a good one.  
• Injuries have really depleted the Gophers depth.  
• I hate when Ryan Santoso doesn't kick the ball out of the endzone.  
• Floyd of Rosedale is headed back to Iowa City. 
• I was impressed with C.J. Beathard, he's a pretty good QB.  
• Can Iowa really make it to the college football playoffs? 
• Matt Millen is really annoying on the B1G Network. 
• Up next?  Illinois next Saturday in Minneapolis.