The Iowa Hawkeyes are 10-0 for the first time in 126 years, after 40-35 win over Minnesota

The Iowa Hawkeyes walk over to receive the Floyd of Rosedale trophy, after a
40-35 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday night at Kinnick
Stadium. The Hawkeyes have taken on a very business-like approach in 2015.

Iowa City, IA -- The Iowa Hawkeyes are 10-0 for the first time in program history, with a 40-35 win over Minnesota (4-6, 1-5, B1G West). The Hawkeyes first kicked off in college football in 1889, but after one previous attempt, in 2009, the Hawkeyes move to 6-0 in the B1G West and 10-0 overall, for the first time.

After last year's 51-14 debacle in Minneapolis, the Hawkeyes rebounded and
brought home Floyd of Rosedale to bring Kirk Ferentz's record to 11-6 in the
series against the Golden Gophers, since he became head coach in 1999.

On Sunday, the two major polls moved Iowa up to #6 in the nation. The Hawkeyes were ranked #5 in the second College Football Playoff poll and will find on Tuesday night how they stack up in the CFP race. Only Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Iowa remain undefeated in 2015 among Power 5 conference programs. Houston is the only remaining non-Power 5 unbeaten program in 2015.

The first night game ever in November in Kinnick Stadium was a sellout.
The entire weekend was special with men's and women's basketball games
on Friday and Sunday, in between the wrestling and football games at Kinnick
on Saturday. Iowa went 6-0 in all of the events, with the football game the highlight.

The 75 points combined for both teams on Saturday night was the third most in series history, which is now at 109 meetings. The series with the Golden Gophers is the most played series for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Since 1935, when the trophy was introduced, the Hawkeyes are now 37-43-2 against Minnesota. The win over Minnesota capped off an historic day at Kinnick Stadium.

Ahead of Saturday night's game between Iowa-Minnesota in Football; the
Iowa wrestling team made NCAA history with the largest wrestling match
defeating #1 Oklahoma State to kickoff the 2015-16 wrestling season.

"We're certainly really excited to get the victory tonight for obvious reasons. We talked to our guys about staying humble and staying hungry all week long, and really that just gets right to the point of being prepared. Working on their preparation and keeping the right things in focus," said Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz. 

Iowa junior QB #16 C.J. Beathard continues to add to his winning record, now 11-0
as a Hawkeye starting signal caller. Beathard ran for 2 TDs, on 50 yards rushing,
then was 18 for 26 for an additional 213 yards passing in the 40-35 win.

"I can't compliment our players and our staff, especially our players, enough for doing that. They just did a great job this week. We expected this to be a tough, hard-fought football game. It was. It was a physical football game, and at the end of the day it was just a great team victory for us. The guys played off each other, complimented each other, and it did a lot of great things out there," Ferentz shared, after the emotional and electric game on Saturday night.

Iowa junior RB #29 LeShun Daniels, Jr. had a career game with 26 carries,
195 yards and three TDs on the ground, including a 51 yard TD to end Iowa's
scoring for the evening. He finished 5 yards short of becoming the third Iowa
running back to run for 200 yards and at least 3 TDs in a game, in 2015.

"So as we move forward right now, that puts us one step closer to doing some good things. Makes us 2-0 in November, which obviously we're thrilled about. And my son-in-law was kind enough to share a little history with me about this series yesterday, and it's interesting. We're almost to the day, 76 years ago was the first time The University of Iowa actually won the trophy for the Rosedale Trophy, and that was 1939, coincidentally a pretty good football team. So it was a great outing all in all. Really proud of our guys," Ferentz discussed, after the game.

Iowa senior RB #33 Jordan Canzeri returned for the first time, after suffering
an ankle injury during the Northwestern game. Iowa's leading rusher on the
season, ran for 31 yards in his return. He will be one of 21 seniors seeking
to play their final game at Kinnick Stadium on Senior Day this Saturday.

"Just want to comment about the environment. The fans were fantastic. Sold out, black-out crowd, and the energy was present from the time we came up pregame. Just an electric atmosphere. To be involved in this program 26 years now, these are the things our players will remember their entire lives. So just want to compliment our fans and thank them. Hope I see all 70-plus thousand of them next Saturday to send these seniors off," Ferentz said.

Iowa's Kinnick Stadium during the "Blackout Game" against Minnesota.

"We have a great senior class getting ready to play their last game at Kinnick Stadium," Ferentz said. This is the first Iowa team ever to reach 10-0 on a season. The leadership from the seniors has been outstanding, along with the chemistry developed, after Ferentz named junior QB C.J. Beathard the starting signal caller, after the bowl loss in January.

Tight ends played a big role by both teams on Saturday night. Here, Iowa senior
TE #80 Henry Krieger Coble heads up field against the Golden Gophers.

Offense assumed a lead role Saturday as the Hawkeyes won their 10th consecutive game to start a season for the first time in school history. Iowa ran 75 plays for 506 yards with no turnovers. The Hawkeyes have scored more than 30 points in four consecutive Big Ten Conference games for the first time.

Iowa junior QB #16 C.J. Beathard has been a huge reason for Iowa's 10-0
start in 2015. Though he was injured late in the game again, the game
against Minnesota has been the most productive using his feet and arm,
together, since the groin injury against Illinois. Beathard re-injured his hip.

“We have to give Iowa credit,” Minnesota head coach Tracy Claeys said. “They controlled the line of scrimmage in the middle. That was the difference in the game.”

Purdue rfrosh QB #11 David Blough was 26 of 45 for 285 yards, with a touchdown
and interception, as the Boilermakers came up short 21-14 @ Northwestern
on Saturday.  Purdue won the 2012 game @ Iowa, 27-24, for the first win in Iowa City
in 20 years for the Boilermakers. From 1961 to 1980, Purdue won ever game in the series.

The Hawkeyes look for win No. 11 with an 11 a.m. CST start on Saturday, Nov. 21 against Purdue. The Boilermakers are 2-8 overall, 1-5 in the B1G West. The Hawkeyes are 6-0 in the B1G West, seeking to win the division outright. The game will be televised on ESPN 2 on Saturday.

The dean of the Big Ten, in his 26th season as a coach, 17th year as a head coach,
has lead Iowa to the best start in program history, at 10-0 overall. He is 6-0 in the
conference and seeking to finish 8-0 for the second time (2002) in program history.

Ferentz said, after the win over Minnesota, "We want to win it outright. That's our goal. But to win the game next week and clinch a bid, that would be fantastic. So that will be our goal tomorrow. We'll turn our sights on our next opponent. There is nothing easy in the conference. I know that. But we'll worry about that tomorrow. Tonight we'll enjoy this one and hopefully we'll get things ahead."

Purdue junior WR #7 DeAngelo Yancey is one of the playmakers in third year
coach Darrell Hazell's offense. Purdue's lone win came at home, against
Iowa's final Big Ten opponent, Nebraska. The Boilermakers won 55-45 against
the Cornhuskers for their lone B1G win on the season.

Purdue is up next on Saturday. The Boilermakers did win the last time the game was played at Kinnick Stadium, back in 2012. It was the first win by Purdue in Iowa City, in twenty years.

The Iowa fan base played a huge role in Iowa's Saturday night performance.
The crowd was electric all night, with Iowa taking home the trophy.

Tuesday, Iowa was named #5 in CFP poll; Wednesday, Veterans Day was celebrated across America, ahead of Saturday night's Battle for Floyd of Rosedale ...

The Iowa Hawkeyes celebrating after winning their 9th victory on the 2015 season,
at Indiana on Saturday. It was the fourth road victory of the year against a Power 5
program for the Hawkeyes.

Iowa City, IA -- It has been a positive week heading into Saturday's return to Kinnick Stadium for the undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes. After last Saturday's 35-27 win at Indiana to propel Iowa to 9-0 for the second time in program history, the Hawkeyes were named #5 on Tuesday night, when the second College Football Playoff poll was announced. There was plenty of Iowa talk on Veterans Day, as the sports talking heads continued their conversations on the Hawkeyes and the new CFP ratings.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are #5, just outside the Final 4, in the second College Football
Playoff poll of 2015. The Hawkeyes will host Minnesota on Saturday night.

Iowa's run to a 9-0 start, 5-0 in the B1G West has been felt in all three phases of the game. 

Iowa junior QB #16 C.J. Beathard is the first Hawkeye signal caller to open 10-0
as a starter in the history of the program. Five wins on the road and five at home.

On offense:

• Iowa has the third most balanced offensive production in FBS. The Hawkeyes have 3,708 total yards -- 1,845 yards rushing, 1,863 yards passing. (Kent State 1,323/1,323; Auburn 1,700/1,712)
• Iowa has 25 rushing touchdowns, second in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 26) and ninth nationally
• Iowa ranks second in the Big Ten with 13 scrimmage plays of 40-plus yards. The Hawkeyes had 12 scrimmage plays of 40-plus yards all of last season, and 13 such plays in 2012 and 2013 combined

The Hawkeyes have really improved in 2015, after a 7-6 record, last season.
The #1 area to look at for Iowa has been the development of the defensive unit.

On defense:

• Iowa has allowed just three rushing touchdowns; No. 1 nationally
• Iowa leads the Big Ten in takeaways (20), interceptions (13) and turnover margin (+11)
• Iowa allows 16.6 points per game. Among the five other unbeaten FBS schools, only Ohio State allows fewer points (15.0)

Iowa junior Desmond King has become an effective special team player in
2015, leading the Hawkeyes in punt and kick returning.

On special teams:

• Marshall Koehn’s 57-yard game-winning field goal vs. Pitt is the second longest in school history and the second longest in FBS this season
• Iowa’s two-man punt team of seniors Dillon Kidd (43.3) and Marshall Koehn (46.2) rank fourth in the Big Ten averaging 42.6 yards per punt
• Junior Desmond King averages 12.9 yards per punt return, No. 3 in the Big Ten, and 23.6 yards on KO returns, No. 6 in the Big Ten

Saturday is Military Appreciation Day at Kinnick Stadium

One of the University of Iowa football team's most famous alums is 1939 Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick. The first Hawkeye football player to earn first-team All-America honors was Fred Becker in 1916.

Both were United States veterans and both lost their lives serving in the military. Becker was killed in active duty in 1918 during World War I; Kinnick died during a training flight while serving as a United States Navy aviator during World War II.

Iowa's Nile Kinnick, the 1939
Heisman Trophy winner joined
the U.S. Navy as an aviator.
He was lost at sea in 1943.

Saturday's game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-5, 1-4 B1G West) is designated as Military Appreciation Day in honor of Veterans Day. The University of Iowa and its Veterans Association has organized events to honor veterans associated with the university and Hawkeye community.

Iowa students Jacob Stone and Sheena Anderson were among the participants in a Veterans Association 280-mile ruck march that brought the game ball from TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis to Kinnick Stadium to raise awareness for veteran suicide. Stone is a veteran of the U.S. Marines, Anderson is a U.S. Army veteran.

Participants marched in teams of three while carrying ruck sacks weighing 22 pounds, a symbol of the 22 veterans who take their own lives by suicide each day. The 57 members of the ruck march will form the tunnel the Hawkeyes swarm through onto the field for Saturday's game.

Thank you to our Veterans, as Kinnick Stadium celebrated a past Military
Appreciation Day, as Saturday night's game will celebrate ...

The Iowa football program and the Army ROTC also identified five distinguished veterans -- all Iowa graduates or former cadre -- to serve as the traditional color guard. The five individuals selected are: Colonel G. Dave Lewis, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Brothers, Lieutenant Colonel Brad Cook, Master Sergeant David J. Stoen, and Lieutenant Colonel Mark Coble.

The on-field events come on the heels of a Tickets for Troops initiative that was rolled out earlier this fall. The UI partnered with fans, giving them an option to purchase tickets at a reduced price and donate them to active duty and veteran military members to attend Saturday's game at no cost.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is 10-5 against Minnesota, as a head coach.

The battle for the Floyd of Rosedale begins at 7:12 p.m. (CST) on Saturday night, in prime time for Iowa-Minnesota. The game, which is sold out, will be televised on BTN. It is the first November night game in Hawkeye history. It is the 80th anniversary of first battle for Floyd of Rosedale, back in 1935.

Minnesota DC Tracy Claeys was named
head coach on Wednesday of the Golden
Gophers, after 20 years as an assistant
with Jerry Kill, who stepped down, due
to health issues two weeks ago.

Minnesota has chosen to elevate Tracy Claeys as the permanent replacement for Jerry Kill, who resigned, prior to the Gophers games with Michigan and Ohio State, two weeks ago. After an 0-2 start, as an interim coach, Claeys was given a three year contract, beginning in 2016.

"They're playing better this year (Iowa), there's no question. They've kind of gelled. Things are going their way. It will be a tremendous challenge. At the same time, being a trophy game, our kids will be excited. I expect us to play well. It will be a tough environment," said Minnesota coach Tracy Claeys ahead of the Iowa game.

The Gophers and Hawkeyes battle for Floyd of Rosedale.
Minnesota beat Iowa 51-14 in Minneapolis, last season, which
was the most lop-sided loss for the Hawkeyes, since 1949.

"Offensively they've got a veteran quarterback who's a really good football player. They're a big, physical group up front like they traditionally are. Good backs, good receivers, so that's going to be a big challenge for our team," said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz.

Minnesota junior QB #7 Mitch Leidner leads the Golden Gophers offense.
He is a threat both running and passing the football for Minnesota.

"Then flipping it on the other side of the football, they're very aggressive defensively, run very well at all positions, extremely good in the secondary. I know they feel great about those guys, and rightfully so," Ferentz said this week, ahead of the battle for Floyd of Rosedale.

The strength of Golden Gophers defense is three returning starters in the
secondary. A match-up to watch will be Iowa's passing game vs. Minnesota,
including one of the top cornerback units in the Big Ten, with seniors #29 Brian
Boddy-Calhoun and #31 Eric Murray, who were 1st and 2nd team respectively.

"And then special teams wise they have two of the better specialists you're going to find in the conference. They're a very, very good football team, and we're going to have a big challenge on our hands," said Ferentz.

Last year, Maxx Williams was a highlight reel against Iowa. He has departed
to the NFL. Sophomore TE Brandon Lingen had a personal high 111 yards
on five catches against Michigan in the 29-26 loss for the Gophers. The
Golden Gophers took Michigan down to the final play and came up short.

"November as I said earlier is a big month, certainly a big month for any college football team. Certainly it is for us, and to be back in Kinnick is really special, and to be there in a night game is always a special thing," said Ferentz.

On Tuesday, the second College Football Playoff poll was announced.

"Twenty-sixth year now being involved in Kinnick Stadium. It never gets old. It's just a very, very special place to play college football. We'll have a great environment Saturday night. There's no doubt about that. But that being said, the fans can't play the game, just like when we're on the road, the opposing fans don't decide the game. It's going to get decided on the field, so we're going to have to have a great week of preparation. We'll have to be ready to go at kickoff against this team. We've got our work cut out and we've been working on that, and we look forward to trying to finish the week out well." - Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz

Iowa will host a "Blackout" game on Saturday night, with an all-black
alternate uniform for the Hawkeyes to breakout and attempt to reach 10-0
for the first time in Iowa football history.

Can Iowa make history on Saturday night, reaching 10-0 for the first time in program history?

"We'll find out Saturday because we've got a real big challenge and we're going to have to really have a good week of preparation. That's really the best way to get there, and we've tried to explain that to our players. Back during the bye week we told them to think big, but no matter how big they thought and whatever they may have been dreaming up, you can only get there week by week. That's about all you can control. I know it's boring and mundane. But for us to be focused or spend time on anything else right now is really counterproductive, and to me the best thing to do is worry about their academics, worry about the game plan, preparation, and maybe go on a date or something like that if they've got time. That's great, too. We just need to worry about this one because it's tricky sledding out there," said Ferentz on the historical game on Saturday night for Iowa.

Plenty of excitement surrounding the Iowa Football program this November.