Gophers, Hawkeyes still strongly disagree about the invalid fair-catch call

Controversy is in the eye of the beholder, and that certainly applies to the events that unfolded early in the evening of Oct. 21, 2023, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.

If your eyes are on the Iowa side of the border, it wasn’t a fair catch, and the Gophers’ 12-10 victory over Iowa is bathed in controversy.

If your eyes are on the Minnesota side, the Gophers’ first victory in the Floyd of Rosedale series since 2014 had no controversy at all. Officials properly used the video replay system to point out an invalid fair-catch signal, wiping out what could have been Cooper DeJean’s winning 54-yard punt return late in the fourth quarter.

“What was controversial about that game?” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said at Big Ten Media Days in July, playfully batting down a question about the disputed finish. “It was an illegal fair-catch signal.”

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz disagreed, and a month after that finish, he still was irked by it.

“I’m just gonna tell you we got screwed on that one by the replay system,” Ferentz said after the regular-season-ending victory over Nebraska.

Emotions among the fan bases of both the Gophers and Hawkeyes promise to be charged when the teams meet again on Saturday night at Huntington Bank Stadium. Both teams take 2-1 records into the contest, and with a 6:30 p.m. start, folks will have time to pour on their game faces.

Fleck is happy that the Gophers have joined the rivalry after falling short in their first six attempts to beat Iowa with him as coach.

“That’s part of what rivalries are all about,” Fleck said Monday. “They come down to, usually, a one-possession game, and then some of the best players are making the biggest plays.”

What made last year’s finish special — at least from Minnesota’s perspective — was the backdrop.

The Gophers were seeking their first victory over Iowa since 2014 and first triumph at Kinnick since 1999. Holding a 12-10 lead with 1:40 left in the fourth quarter, the Gophers faced fourth-and-7 at their 16-yard line and were forced to punt to the game-changing DeJean.

As Marc Crawford’s 37-yard boot angled toward the right sideline in front of the Minnesota bench, DeJean pointed with his right hand and waved with his left, seemingly alerting teammates to stay away from the ball when it hit the turf.

DeJean played the ball on a hop near the sideline, spun out of an attempted tackle, made another move and raced 54 yards across the field for an apparent touchdown that sent the crowd of 69,250 into a frenzy. The Floyd of Rosedale trophy appeared destined to spend a ninth consecutive year in Iowa City.

Except … officials wanted to take a further look at the play via video review, and Ferentz said he initially was told it was to see if DeJean stayed in bounds. After a delay of a couple of minutes, they ruled that DeJean made an improper fair-catch signal — the wave with his left hand — that negated the return. Instead, the Hawkeyes got the ball at their 46 with 1:32 to play. The Gophers defense made sure Iowa wouldn’t drive for a winning field goal. Cornerback Justin Walley intercepted Deacon Hill’s third-and-17 pass with one minute left.

Iowa fans were livid, as was Ferentz. “Somehow, we went from [the sideline review] to a whole different series of topics.” Ferentz felt that DeJean’s signal with his left hand didn’t rise high enough to be a fair catch. Officials disagreed.

A cottage industry of sorts popped up among Hawkeyes fans in the wake of last October’s events. Different versions of black and gold T-shirts with the message “It Wasn’t a Fair Catch” can be found on various websites.

Gophers fans have gotten into the act, too, with the Dinkytown Athletes name, image and likeness collective selling T-shirts and hoodies that feature the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy in the front and the NCAA’s fair catch rule on the back. The apparel is sold through athletesthread.com.

“We had seen the [Iowa] T-shirts and saw that this would be part of the rivalry for the next year,” said Derek Burns, co-founder and president of Dinkytown Athletes. “We thought, ‘How can we put something out that the fans would like but also generate some NIL support for the players?’ … The point we wanted to make is that the rule is the rule.”

Burns said the rivalry apparel has been selling well.

Fleck acknowledged that he savored last year’s breakthrough — “We had a couple of cigars, some good bourbon, some good Pappy [Van Winkle]” — but has turned the page to a new season. He did, however, take a lesson from that game.

“We educate [the players] on what is the right fair-catch signal, what the points mean and what the getaway signals mean, and all those valid and invalid fair-catch signals,” he said. “We educate them on that model.”

Gophers safety Kerry Brown was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his performance in the 27-0 victory over Nevada on Saturday. Brown, a redshirt freshman, intercepted two passes and made four tackles as the Gophers improved to 2-1. Brown’s interceptions led to 10 points and helped the Gophers post back-to-back shutouts in a season for the first time since 1962.