Gophers cornerback Justin Walley, safety Aidan Gousby miss Iowa game with injuries

The Gophers showed off depth in their secondary in last week’s victory over Nevada, and on Saturday night, that depth was tested again against Iowa because two starters were injured and did not play.

Senior cornerback Justin Walley and sophomore safety Aidan Gousby were listed as out on the Big Ten availability report that was released two hours before the game. Both Walley (knee) and Gousby (upper body) were injured in the 27-0 win over Nevada.

Walley, who’s been a starter since midway through his freshman season, has eight tackles, one interception and one pass breakup this season. He wore a brace on his right knee Saturday and was replaced in the lineup by Za’Quan Bryan, a redshirt freshman.

Gousby, who has six tackles and an interception, was replaced by junior Darius Green, who started 11 games last season. Green missed the North Carolina and Rhode Island games and returned to make three tackles against Nevada. Sophomore Coleman Bryson and freshman Koi Perich also were options for increased playing time.

Listed as questionable on the availability report was defensive lineman Logan Richter, who had two tackles in two games played. Also listed as out were defensive back Jordan Greenhow, defensive linemen Jaylin Hicks and Theorin Randle, running back Kaeden Johnson and tight end Pierce Walsh.

Jackson Kollock, a four-star quarterback recruit from Laguna Beach, Calif., made the trip from Southern California for his first Minnesota game. The 6-4, 225-pound former Washington recruit committed in the spring.

Three-star Downers Grove North (Ill.) junior Owen Lansu drove to the Twin Cities from the Chicago suburbs. The 6-1, 195-pounder committed to coach P.J. Fleck after attending the Gophers camp in late July.

Headlining the Minnesota prospects at Saturday’s game were Cooper linebacker Emmanuel Karmo and Jackson County (Minn.) Central athlete Roman Voss, the No. 1 players in the state’s 2025 and 2026 classes, respectively.

Karmo committed to the Gophers in April, but he had offers from several Big Ten programs, including the Hawkeyes. Voss, who has several Power Four offers, also made unofficial visits to attend Wisconsin and Iowa games this season.

Mohamed Ibrahim, the Gophers’ career rushing leader, is back on campus, helping with the team’s running backs during practice.

“It’s been really cool to have him back around,” running back Darius Taylor said. “He’s given me a lot of the advice and also been holding me to the standard during practice. So, practice been even tougher because he’s holding me to the standard that he held himself to.”

An example: Ibrahim encourages Taylor to end up in the end zone on every run in practice. “That’s helping me have better wind when I’m playing,” Taylor said.

Ibrahim, who played for the Gophers from 2018-22, was in training camp briefly with the Vikings before being cut when the team trimmed its roster to 53 players.

Saturday’s game marked the first of four trophy games that the Gophers will play this season. Iowa entered Saturday’s 90th matchup for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy leading Minnesota 44-43-2 with the pig on the line. Overall, the Gophers entered Saturday at 63-52-2 vs. the Hawkeyes.

“This game means so much to both programs, both fan bases,” Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle said during the KFXN pregame show, noting the national TV audience on NBC. “The whole nation gets to see what the Minnesota-Iowa rivalry is all about.”

The Gophers play Michigan in Ann Arbor next Saturday with the Little Brown Jug at stake. The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. and will be broadcast on Fox. On Nov. 23, they’ll play Penn State at Huntington Bank Stadium for the Governor’s Victory Bell. And on Nov. 29 at Wisconsin, they’ll play the Badgers for Paul Bunyan’s Axe.