Minnesota OC Mike Sanford discusses preparation for ‘very physical’ rivalry battle with Iowa

Minnesota OC Mike Sanford is getting ready for his first shot at Floyd of Rosedale.

Sanford was brought to the Gophers following 2019 after the departure of Kirk Ciarrocca to Penn State. He brings a wealth of experience to the program, though it took until Week 3 for Minnesota to get its first win with Sanford onboard.

Now, he is trying to get his offense right and ready for Friday’s rivalry showdown with Iowa. Sanford was asked his thoughts about the rivalry on Wednesday, and he admitted it is an extremely physical rivalry between two teams that truly know how to play football the way it is supposed to be played.

Ryan Burns with Gopher Illustrated shared Sanford’s comments:

“It’s a huge rivalry and it’s really from what football from a physical standpoint should be all about with these two,” said Sanford. “Two programs who pride themselves on being very physical in the way. They play the game on the field the way it’s supposed to be played. And so it’s been it’s been fun getting to know them.

“We’ve studied them a lot in the offseason. Obviously, it’s a game that’s very important to a lot of people in our state, to our players, to our team, but ultimately for us as an offensive unit, we have to look at it as the next game. The next right step. The next opportunity to grow. And yes, that does sound cliche, but it’s truly what you have to make it. Anytime you make it more than that, you lose sight of what you have to accomplish and where you need to grow. And so that’s been our mindset all week is. What’s the next step and to be better than we were a week ago.”

Minnesota is definitely eager for a win in the rivalry series. The Gophers have dropped five straight to the Hawkeyes with the last win coming in 2014.

Friday’s kickoff is set for 7 pm EST on FS1.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.