Iowa took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in nine plays for a 7-0 lead. After the Hawkeyes defense forced the first of its six three-and-outs on Saturday, Iowa’s offense produced a 46-yard field-goal drive for a 10-0 lead.
Then came what pretty much was the dagger with 3:09 left in the first quarter.
Gophers redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey, so steady and poised through the season’s first seven games, tried to force a throw to tight end Drew Biber into double coverage. Hawkeyes nickelback Zach Lutmer elevated to intercept the pass and raced 34 yards for a touchdown and 17-0 lead.
“I didn’t play well enough,” said Lindsey, who completed 16 of 28 passes for 109 yards but was intercepted three times. “It starts with me, with leadership. Every single play’s got to be super-detailed, and I didn’t execute well enough.”
Lindsey wasn’t the only issue on offense.
The Gophers were limited to 24 rushing yards on 25 carries. Running back Darius Taylor rushed for 1 yard on the first play from scrimmage but didn’t carry the ball again because of what Fleck indicated was an injury situation.
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