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PJ Fleck records first-ever win vs. Iowa following dramatic finish

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

PJ Fleck and Minnesota rolled into Iowa City in search of the head coach’s first-ever win over Iowa. That game was a nail-biting defensive struggle the entire way, and it nearly looked like the Hawkeyes had rallied with less than 2 minutes to go.

The finish had a bit of controversy with Iowa star Cooper DeJean initially returning a punt for a game-breaking touchdown. However, a replay review ruled that DeJean flashed a fair catch signal, leaving the play dead at the time of DeJean’s recovery.

In the end, the Golden Gophers escaped with a 12-10 win and Fleck’s first win in the all-time series. It also goes down as Iowa’s first win in Iowa City since 1999.

Here is how the team celebrated with Floyd of Rosedale in hand:

“It’s all about the kids, players, staff. Everyone came together and did something special today,” said Fleck in the postgame interview. “I graduated high school in 1999! … The resolve of this football team is inspiring. What they just did is unbelievable… Floyd’s coming home, baby!”

The win by the Gophers snaps an 8-game winning streak for the Hawkeyes. The final score also mirrors the final score of a 1981 meeting, a 12-10 victory for the Gophers also in Iowa City.

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.