Gophers losses to Iowa — and there have been many — are the kind players don't forget

As clichés go, this one offered by Quinn Carroll on Wednesday would have made Crash Davis proud.

"We're just taking it one game at a time, learning from our past to create our future," the Gophers tackle said, channeling the interview advice that the "Bull Durham" catcher gave young pitcher Nuke LaLoosh.

Carroll, along with quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and safety Tyler Nubin, met the media Wednesday as the Gophers prepared for Saturday's game at No. 24 Iowa. The winner between the border rivals gets possession of the Floyd of Rosedale trophy for a year, but circumstances say there's more than just the 98-pound bronze hog at stake for the Gophers.

"It means a lot. It means a lot to me," said Carroll, an Edina native who transferred from Notre Dame. "Growing up in Minnesota, my dad [Jay] playing for the Gophers, it just means a lot to this program."

Saturday's game starts the second half of the season for the Gophers, who are 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten. A victory over the Hawkeyes (6-1, 3-1) for the first time since 2014 — and in Kinnick Stadium for the first time since 1999 — would go a long way toward turning around a season that so far has been disappointing. A loss to Iowa would provide more fuel for detractors who say, "Same old Gophers, can't win a big game."

Coach P.J. Fleck is in his seventh year in Dinkytown and has yet to defeat the Hawkeyes. Two of the losses in Iowa City — 23-19 in 2019 and 27-22 in 2021 — kept Minnesota from earning a berth in the Big Ten championship game. Fleck is well aware of the weight that this contest carries.

"It's a huge rivalry game," Fleck said. "We've talked to our players about what it means. They understand that. A lot of guys who have been here understand that. They know how close we've been."

Iowa finds a way

The Gophers had their bye last week, so they spent extra time preparing for the Hawkeyes. They will face a team that uses duct tape and bailing wire to hold it together on offense, relies on a defense that's adept at forcing turnovers at key moments, and features special-teams play that routinely gains hidden yardage.

"There are plays that can lose games, but there are plays that can win games," Kaliakmanis said. "That's the biggest thing I've taken away, watching last year's film. … My pick last year, Mo's fumble — those are plays you wish you could have back."

Seemingly on cue last year, the Hawkeyes used two big defensive plays by All-America linebacker Jack Campbell to secure a 13-10 victory. First, he forced a fumble by Gophers running back Mohamed Ibrahim that Iowa recovered at its 9-yard line with 5:07 left in the fourth quarter, ending what looked to be Minnesota's go-ahead drive. Then, Campbell intercepted a Kaliakmanis pass and returned it 30 yards to the Gophers 45 with 2:06 left. That set up the winning field goal with 28 seconds to play.

Campbell now starts for the Detroit Lions, but Kaliakmanis doesn't see a huge drop-off in Iowa's defensive talent.

"Nothing changes about what I've seen last year compared to this year," Kaliakmanis said. "They've just got new players."

Seeking consistency

For the Gophers to flip the script in this rivalry, they will first need to find the consistency that has escaped them in the first half of the season, especially in their three losses.

"We're always looking to improve, and I feel like that's been a hallmark of our defenses," Gophers defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said. "You've seen them improve throughout the season. We're not going to take it for granted that it's just going to happen on its own. There's a lot of work by players and coaches that go into that."

Nubin, the Gophers' defensive leader, acknowledged the extra emotion involved in a game such as this, but he stuck to the one-play-at-a-time approach.

"It's a rivalry game, so it's gonna be back and forth," he said. "Things are gonna go wrong, things are gonna go right, so you've gotta have poise. You've gotta have an even mind the whole time."