Iowa-Minnesota: Iowa's Defense Slams the Door on Minnesota in 12-0 Win

Great teams figure out how to win games even when they aren’t firing on all cylinders.  On Saturday, Iowa demonstrated once again why it is a great team when its defense rose to the occasion to slam the door on the Gophers and stake its claim for a BCS bid.

As good as quarterback James Vandenberg looked against Ohio State, he looked almost as bad against Minnesota. 

Vandenberg struggled for most of the day, picking up blitzes by the secondary of Minnesota.  In the first half, Vandenberg was constantly being sacked and hurried because he could not figure out whether the last defensive adjustment by the Gophers right before the snap of the ball meant blitz or was simply a decoy to mask zone coverage.

Even when Vandenberg did make the right pre-snap read, he still occasionally took a bad sack or threw into traffic because he held on to the ball too long once his pocket collapsed.  The pressure applied by Minnesota got to Vandenberg on a couple of plays as he succumbed to happy feet and threw the ball too early before his receiver was open. 

At times, Vandenberg looked like...well the freshman quarterback that he is.

Vandenberg did, however, have his moments that gave Iowa fans hope that the quarterback position will be in good hands for several years into the future.  In the second quarter after the defense returned an interception to the Minnesota 39-yard line, Vandenberg led the Hawks on the only touchdown drive of the day.

Vandenberg made three good throws on the drive, each resulting in a first down that put the ball on the doorstep of the end zone.   Two passes went to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and one toss drew a 10-yard holding penalty.

Iowa had the ball on a 1st-and-goal at the two-yard line.  On two consecutive plays, Iowa ran Brandon Wegher up the middle.  Nothing fancy, just old smash mouth football, where the offense lines up and runs the ball down your throat, daring you to stop them. 

At the time, the failure of the Gophers to make the goal line stand did not seem that significant for Minnesota.

Minnesota had blocked Iowa’s extra point try and only trailed 9-0 going into halftime.  The Gophers had to feel good going into the locker room knowing that they were only one big play away from being back in the game.

Minnesota, however, was in for a rude awakening as they would be shutout for the second straight year by the Hawkeyes.

In the fourth quarter, Iowa would turn the ball over to the Gophers at their 29-yard line.  Similar to Iowa, quarterback Adam Weber made two completions, got a pass interference call, and mixed in a couple of runs to get the ball to the two-yard line.

Minnesota seemed poised to score a touchdown in the same end zone that Iowa had scored in two quarters earlier. 

The symmetry of Minnesota’s fourth quarter drive to Iowa’s second quarter drive, however, would end there.

On first down, Minnesota ran MarQueis Gray up the middle for no gain.  On second down, Duane Bennett was turned away when he tried his luck over the middle.

The crowd that was already cheering wildly turned up its intensity, understanding that if the Iowa defense turned away the Gophers, the game would likely be over given the ineptness of Minnesota's offense.

On third down, Minnesota went to a fade route.  Iowa’s cornerback Shaun Prater stepped up and made a great play on the ball, redeeming himself for the pass interference call he was flagged for only three plays earlier.

Now, the crowd was in a frenzy, seeking to will its defense to make one more play. 

Iowa’s defense came into the game with the best run defense in the Big Ten.  Minnesota came into the game with the worst running game in the Big Ten.

Would Minnesota go with a run or with a pass?

The Gophers went with a quarterback draw.  Iowa was not fooled as their defensive end Adrian Clayborn and linebacker Christian Ballard sacked Weber for a five-yard loss.

Iowa went conservative on offense, backed up on its seven-yard line, going three and out.  I’m sure several Hawkeye fans replayed in their head the naked bootleg play in which Ricky Stanzi was injured against Northwestern.

Who could blame the Iowa coaching staff for not tempting fate with Vandenberg in the same end zone? 

Minnesota started its last threat at its 49-yard line.  Minnesota abandoned the run, except for one attempt by Gray, and went exclusively to its passing game on the possession. 

Somehow, Minnesota managed to obtain a 1st-and-10 at the Iowa 22-yard line.  In watching the events unfold, I wondered if any fans felt that Minnesota was actually going to score a touchdown on the possession.

Iowa’s defense appeared to know the answer, as they turned up the pressure on Weber, forcing four straight incomplete passes.

Iowa and Minnesota both stood two yards from the end zone on Saturday. 

Iowa managed to score a touchdown, whereas Minnesota had the door shut in its face by the Iowa defense. 

The Hawkeyes have a bright future with a possible BCS bid.   Ironically, it appears that Minnesota likely needs Iowa to secure a BCS bid to avoid playing in Detroit in the Little Caesars Bowl.

Great teams find a way to win games even when everything is not going well.  On Saturday, Iowa showed us once again that they are a great team by getting to 10 wins on the season by shutting out Minnesota 12-0 in a defensive slugfest.