Run the North | Golden Gophers football

[ShireNiner]

Soapy's RTG privileged white boy who beats asian women *ALLEGEDLY*

Now I feel better about myself for not knowing about that nonsense. My players hang around respectable people in respectable environments.

bro?

boys thought they had an easy dub and almost FAFO

I took that game way too easy with how it started. Lesson learned. We move on

[ShireNiner]

Week 11 in the CFB: New Heisman leader, USC top the standings, and Tulane has a playoff path



For the second straight week, there is a new number one in the polls; this time USC moves up to first after beating Oregon 38-28. The previous number one Duke lost to number two Clemson 35-28 in overtime, which has the Blue Devils dropping down to fifth in the standings.

Three teams at the top remain perfect: USC, Clemson, and Texas Tech. For USC, they are led by Jayden Maiava at quarterback, who is fourth in the Heisman rankings, and right behind him in the list is his favorite target, wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane.

Texas Tech has quietly gone about its business, beating a list of unranked teams to slowly climb the table and climb the Heisman list. Quarterback Coner Weigman is now the front-runner, with Minnesota's AJ Turner dropping to second for the first time in eight weeks.

"Tech is a team to watch." ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit said on the Pat McAfee Show. "The schedule is manageable, only Cincinnati left, and they are just over .500, then you have the conference championship game that is looking like a game they will be heavy favorites. The path is there for the team to get a bye and Weigman to win the Heisman."

For Minnesota, the Gophers keep finding ways to win, but they also keep finding ways to make the game harder for themselves. AJ Turner has had two straight weeks of poor stats, and now they face two run-heavy defenses in Iowa and Wisconsin. Last season, Iowa gave Minnesota its worst loss of the season, and this year, the Hawkeyes are fighting for bowl eligibility.

"Minnesota has two rival games left. Both teams will love the thought of knocking the Gophers out of the playoffs and with how close the Big Ten is, one loss and Minnesota is out of the conference championship game and out of the playoffs. They'd better figure out the offense, and they better figure it out soon."

The path to Las Vegas -

What did you think of this story?

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Steven Koenig is a senior writer for ShireNiner Nation covering College Football. He previously covered a variety of sports and events, including World Cups and Olympics, for MSNBC Sports. He is based in Boston, MA. Follow Steven on Twitter @SteviesFake.

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Comments

[redsox907]

cant mess around and miss the playoff with how this season is going

[ShireNiner]

Floyd of Rosedale means more this season with playoff hopes on the line for Minnesota as Iowa comes to Minneapolis


Hawkeyes won the Floyd of Rosedale last year 38-24 (ShireNiner PS5 Images)

By: Aiden “AJ” Wexler
Week 12, 2026 | Iowa at Minnesota

Week 8 of last season, Mick Smith felt like his team was turning a corner in his first year after two wins in a row and a 5-2 record. Then a trip to Iowa City knocked away that momentum as the Iowa Hawkeyes ran all over Minnesota in a 38-24 rout. This season, the stakes are even higher as the two rivals meet in the Floyd of Rosedale game. Minnesota (8-2, 6-1) is ranked 6th in the nation with both playoff hopes and Big Ten championship hopes on the line.

Iowa (6-4, 4-3) is playing for a better bowl game but most importantly, playing to ruin the goals and dreams of a hated rival.

Game Notes to Watch

• Minnesota's AJ Turner is coming off his worst game of the season, not even breaking 40 yards. Turner is no longer the Heisman favorite and will need to finish the season strong to regain the lead.

• Minnesota is on a six-game winning streak, the last three wins in one-score games

• Iowa has lost the last two games, against 8th-ranked Ohio State and 25th-ranked Illinois. Iowa is 0-3 vs ranked teams this season.

• Minnesota is last in the Big Ten with 192.1 pass yards per game, Iowa is second to last with 217

• Iowa has the fourth-best defense in the Big Ten in points and yards per game allowed.

Key Players
Ryan Browne (JR) 171/296, 57%, 2,170 yards, 14 TDs, 4 INTS, sacked 11 times
Kamari Moulton (JR), RB, 153 att, 806 yds, 5.3 avg, 9 TDs
Reece Vander Zee (JR), WR, 41 rec, 672 yds, 6 TD
Trevor Buhr (JR), LG, 719 snaps, 0 sacks allowed
Jayden Montgomery (SR), MIKE, 72 Tkles, 5 TFL, 1.5 sacks
Justin Scott (JR), DT, 42 Tkles, 18 TFL, 8 sacks
Teegen Davis (JR), CB, 30 tkls, 1 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 2 INT

AJ Brand (SO), QB, 157/256, 61%, 1,648 yds, 14 TDs, 6 INTs, sacked 10 times
AJ Turner (SR), RB, 252 att, 1,647 yds, 6.5 avg, 16 TDs
Kenric Lanier II (JR), WR, 34 rec, 414 yds, 4 TD
Robert Herndon (FR), RT, 774 snaps, 0 sacks allowed
Aidan Gousby (SR), MIKE, 73 Tkles, 13 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 2 DEFL, 3 INT
Emmanuel Karmo (SO), REDG, 30 Tkles, 16 TFL, 12 sacks, 1 DEFL
Mitch Horan (FR), WILL, 54 Tkles, 17 TFL, 6.5 sacks, 2 DEFL, 1 INT

Aiden “AJ” Wexler is a writer for ShireNiner Nation covering Minnesota Gophers Football. He previously covered local high schools in the Minneapolis area. He is based in Minneapolis, MN. Follow AJ on Twitter @AidensFake.

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Comments

[ShireNiner]

cant mess around and miss the playoff with how this season is going

I have a bad feeling about Iowa. I hate playing them.

[Soapy]

Justin Scott on Iowa is gross

time to take care of business

[ShireNiner]

Justin Scott on Iowa is gross

time to take care of business

It was ugly but it will do

[ShireNiner]

Gophers keep playoff hopes alive with Floyd of Rosedale win
Iowa Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten, CFP No. 6)
Week 11, 2026

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Iowa | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24
#6 MINN | 7 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 29

MINNEAPOLIS — Behind a punishing rushing attack and a flawless performance from the kicking game, Minnesota secured a 29-22 victory over Iowa on Saturday. The win keeps Minnesota alive for the Big Ten Championship and the College Football Playoffs.

The Gophers (who totaled over 278 yards on the ground) leaned heavily on AJ Turner, who carved up the Hawkeyes' defense for 157 yards and a touchdown. Alongside Fame Ijeboi (95 yards), the duo allowed Minnesota to dominate the tempo and overcome a productive day from Iowa quarterback Ryan Browne.

Iowa's running game took a major hit in the first quarter when Kamari Moulton left with an injury after four rushes for 39 yards. Without Moulton, Iowa was forced into a passing game, a style the Hawks are not used to playing. Browne put up big numbers in the air (236 yards, 3 touchdowns), but his incompletions on third down and his lack of scrambling cost them in the end.

The turning point came in the fourth quarter, when Turner capped off a physical drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. Although the two-point conversion failed, the score extended the lead to 29-16 with just over two minutes remaining, effectively putting the game out of reach despite a late touchdown toss from Browne to Chauncy Cobb.

The win is Minnesota's 7th in a row, despite the national media and fans not believing they look like a playoff team; the Golden Gophers continue to grind out wins. Next for Minnesota is a game with struggling Wisconsin. A win and Minnesota is in the Big Ten Championship game; a loss, and the season's goals are over.

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Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
Jerry Cross 7 Yd pass from Dylan Wittke (5:41)

Quarter 2
Manuel Valles 34 yd FG (7:20)
Kris Gentry 42 yd FG (4:05)
Nitro Tuggle 51 yd pass from Ryan Browne (2:27)
AJ Brand 22 yd run (0:46)

Quarter 4
Manuel Valles 45 yd FG (11:12)
Ike Speltz 25 yd pass from Ryan Browne (9:52)
Manuel Valles 34 yd FG (4:26)
AJ Turner 8 yd run (failed 2-pt conversion)(2:32)
Chauncy Cobb 14 yd pass from Ryan Browne (0:59)

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Soapy Stat box
Passing
Ryan Brown: 18/32, 56%, 236 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
AJ Brand: 21/37, 56%, 162 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT
Dylan Wittke: 1/1, 100%, 7 yds, 1 TD
Rushing
Kamari Moulton: 4 atts, 39 yds, 9.7 average (left injured in first)
AJ Turner: 25 atts, 157 yds, 6.2 avg, 1 TD
Fame Ijeboi: 15 atts, 95 yds, 6.3 avg
Receiving
Nitro Tuggle: 5 rec, 118 yrds, 1 TD
Kenrick Lanier II: 8 rec, 72 yds
Jalen Smith: 3 rec, 28 yds
Defense
Deshaun Lee: 13 tkls, 1 TFL
Justin Scott: 4 tkls, 1 TFL, 1 sack
Aidan Gousby: 7 tkls, 3 TFL
Mitch Horan: 8 tkls, 1 TFL, 0.5 sacks
Dexter Ricks Jr: 4 tkls, 1 INT, 1 DEF

[Soapy]

TOP 5 TOP 5 TOP 5 TOP 5

[ShireNiner]

TOP 5 TOP 5 TOP 5 TOP 5

Only Wisconsin is left, then onto the Big Ten Championship.