Iowa City Today

The Iowa Hawkeyes will host the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday, October 25, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Both teams enter the matchup with identical records of 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play. The game is scheduled for a 2:40 p.m. CT kickoff and will be broadcast on CBS.

Saturday’s contest marks the annual Black Out game, with fans encouraged to wear black attire. The Hawkeyes have had notable success against Minnesota at home, winning 10 of their last 11 meetings in Iowa City. Their only recent loss came in 2023 after an invalid fair catch penalty negated a late go-ahead touchdown by defensive back Cooper DeJean.

Quarterback Mark Gronowski set a school record by rushing for 130 yards—the most ever by an Iowa quarterback—in last week’s win over Penn State. He has scored at least one rushing touchdown in each of Iowa's seven games this season, the longest such streak by a Big Ten quarterback since Michigan’s Denard Robinson in 2011. Gronowski currently ranks third nationally with ten rushing touchdowns.

On defense, safety Xavier Nwankpa was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after recording ten tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble against Penn State. The Hawkeye defense has forced seven turnovers over its last four games and ranks among the top ten nationally in scoring defense (14.2 points per game) and total defense (249.4 yards per game).

Iowa’s ground game has also been productive, surpassing 200 rushing yards in four games this season under offensive coordinator Tim Lester. Five different players have rushed for at least 125 yards through seven weeks.

Placekicker Drew Stevens became Iowa’s all-time leader in career field goals made during the Penn State game, reaching a total of 68 field goals and moving to third place in program history for career scoring with 308 points.

Graduate receiver Kaden Wetjen remains a key contributor on special teams, having returned both a punt (95 yards) and kickoff (100 yards) for touchdowns this season—an accomplishment unmatched by any other player nationally so far in 2025.

Saturday’s matchup is the 119th meeting between Iowa and Minnesota. While Minnesota leads the all-time series (63-53-2), Iowa has won nine of the last ten matchups and holds a strong record when playing for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy—having claimed it in 19 of the past 24 contests.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz continues his tenure as college football’s longest-serving active head coach and recently became the Big Ten Conference's all-time winningest coach with his 206th victory earlier this season against UMass. Ferentz now holds 209 career wins overall.

The winner on Saturday will retain or claim possession of Floyd of Rosedale—a tradition that began as part of a bet between state governors in 1935—and add another chapter to one of college football’s oldest rivalries.