I use the term “nail biter” loosely.  In reality, the Iowa Hawks showed up in Minnesota firing on all cylinders.  The team we had waited to see all year long put on an exhibition for the Minneapolis crowd.

Coming off a few tough losses, the Golden Gophers have generally looked tough this season.  The Hawkeyes have looked like a team with virtually unlimited potential, but have been shaky when it came to closing out games.  Tonight they set the record straight with a 55-0 trouncing of Minnesota.

It could be argued that the Hawkeyes are the strongest four-loss team in the nation.  With their biggest loss of the year being 5 points it begs the question what if.  Are the Hawkeyes the middle-of-the-road team that lost three straight or are they the top 15 (possibly top 10) team that showed up the second half of the season?  I like to believe they are the latter.

The Hawks could have laid down after their three straight losses, but they refused.  They gave us 5 out of 6 wins to close out the season including a victory over number 3 Penn State and tonight’s punishing win over Minnesota.  The Hawks refused to throw in the towel and demonstrated they were a force to be reckoned with.

Could the Iowa Hawkeyes have had a ten win season and a top ten finish- absolutely.  The truth is they deserved it.  Do the Hawkeyes have the potential to win the Big Ten next year?  Without a doubt.  Now is not a time to consider what could have been.  It is time to savor our victories, and be proud of a team that demonstrated what it means to never give up.

Thanks to all of the Hawkeye players and coaches for hanging in there and making a season you should all be proud of.  Thank you for sending the Metrodome off with a fitting end.  The only thing that could have made the victory any sweeter would be to have seen Hawk fans carry the goal posts up the stairs one final time.  Hawkeye fans can be tough critics, but I for one could not be more proud of the heart of this year’s team.  You gave us one to remember.  Welcome home Floyd!

After a lackluster showing vs the mighty Purdue, Iowa comes out looking to prove they are worthy of a New Year’s Day bowl game.  Unfortunately, so does Minnesota.  Trying to avenge the wrongs of years past (aka Hawkeye fans attempting to take goal posts out of a dome stadium circa 2002), Minnesota defends the Metrodome’s honor in a final stand.  Gophers get disgraced in spite of poor Hawkeye coaching 27-17.  Metrodome is shamed once again.  Floyd loses pie eating contest to 3 Iowa coeds spring 09′!  Oink.

Disagree?  Forum is waiting for your responses!

What an unbelievable day last Saturday was.  I awoke to find myself slightly sore as my main man Ryan and I spent the previous day moving all of my worldly possessions into my new home.  It wasn’t long before we fired up the Greyhounds and the Bloody Mary’s and started gearing up for Game day.

The old lady dropped us off on the edge of campus as we took a trip down memory lane weaving in and out of some of our old haunts leaving a trail of empty beer bottles and shot glasses.  We finally made it to Kinnick stadium stopped by a gracious tailgate and found a way to our seats. 

We had some rock star seats to this game as I felt the need to repay my cousin who gave up a night of vice in Las Vegas to help with the move.  What a great group we sat around.  We had a couple of Penn State fans that were actually pretty cool, 2 rowdy graduates from the class of 81 who didn’t mind passing the flask(ours) around, Marla the cool lady who had to put up with us all who had a regular seat and a another guy who was friendly but would only Bogart his flask. 

The atmosphere at Kinnick was electric.  It was cold, but not too windy on the visitor’s side of the stadium.  I think everyone had a lot of hope last Saturday and the Hawks did not disappoint.  The crowd was absolutely nuts, it reminded me of 2002 in the Metrodome.

The back and forth battle took an ugly turn when we roughed the punter which I felt was a bad coaching move to even go after it, but the crowd and the defense dialed it up.  Murray had the stones to kick the field goal, Marla got lifted up and into our row and the rest is history.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have a very talented team and while I will never forget the game and realize how much fun being an Iowa fan is you have to wonder what could have been.  But as one well dressed booster told me on the way out of Kinnick, “I know the staff as made some mistakes but just enjoy the win.”

We sure did.