Golden Gophers lose to Iowa Hawkeyes 31-14 after second-half collapse

PJ Fleck talked last week about how body hits – repeated hard, energy-sapping runs by the offense – wear down the defense so that 2-yard gains become 30- or 40-yard runs. Or, in the example of Darius Taylor against Nevada, an 80-yard run.

On Saturday night, it was the Gophers who took the heavy beating from Iowa, and the result was a 31-14 Hawkeyes victory sparked by a dominant second half in front of 52,048 spectators at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Doing most of the grinding down of the Gophers' defense was Iowa junior running back Kaleb Johnson, who tore down the Gophers for 206 yards and three touchdowns on 21 rushing attempts.

With Iowa trailing 14-7 at halftime, Johnson began to put the Hawkeyes under pressure in the third quarter. His 15-yard touchdown run on Iowa's first possession of the second half tied the score at 14-14. When the Hawkeyes got the ball back after a Minnesota punt, Johnson fought his way through what would have been Gophers tacklers and sprinted 40 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 Iowa lead.

The Hawkeyes got a 46-yard field goal from Drew Stevens in the third quarter to extend their lead to 10 points. Backup QB Brendan Sullivan's 1-yard sneak made it 31-14 with 11:13 left in the fourth quarter, giving them a 24-0 response to Minnesota's 14-7 halftime lead.

Meanwhile, Iowa's defense stymied the Gophers' offense, allowing only a single first down from Minnesota in the third quarter.

The Gophers hurt early when Max Brosmer's interception led to an Iowa touchdown in the first quarter, but Minnesota's defense couldn't repeat its strong first half when it forced four three-and-outs. That helped the Gophers' offense build a 14-7 halftime lead.

As in the 19-17 loss to North Carolina in the season opener, the Gophers couldn't stop a top-notch running back. The Tar Heels' Omarion Hampton, the fifth-leading runner in the country, rushed 74 of his 129 yards after halftime. On Saturday, Johnson, the third-leading runner in the country, had 12 carries for 88 yards in the first half. After halftime, he rushed nine times for 118 yards and scored touchdowns of 15 and 40 yards.