Minnesota Stuns No. 15 Iowa 13–10 on Walk-Off Kick — Four Turnovers Decide Floyd of Rosedale

MINNEAPOLIS, October 24, 2026 — FINAL: Minnesota 13, No. 15 Iowa 10. Luke Drzewiecki made a 46-yard field goal as time expired, turning a low-scoring Big Ten rivalry game into a dramatic Minnesota upset. The Golden Gophers reclaimed the Floyd of Rosedale trophy after Iowa had tied the game with less than four minutes remaining.

Watch the game: Official FOX Sports highlights: Iowa at Minnesota (October 24, 2026; 11:43). This is an exact-event video on FOX Sports’ own platform. A newly uploaded, embeddable official YouTube version has not been independently confirmed, so no unrelated video is embedded.

The 39-yard play that made the winning kick possible

Iowa had just completed a 98-yard touchdown drive, capped by Hank Brown’s 37-yard pass to Reece Vander Zee with 3:46 left. That score brought the Hawkeyes level at 10–10 and appeared to shift the late momentum. Instead, Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey found Jalen Smith for 39 yards on third down with 39 seconds remaining. The completion put Drzewiecki in position to kick the game-winner as the clock expired.

Why Iowa lost despite gaining more yards

The final yardage totals were 288 for Iowa and just 209 for Minnesota. But the Hawkeyes committed four turnovers while forcing only one, and an early blocked punt handed Minnesota the field position for its opening 31-yard field goal. Iowa’s quarterback changes did not fix its ball-security problems: starter Jeremy Hecklinski threw one interception, and replacement Hank Brown threw two. Minnesota’s defense also held Iowa to 90 rushing yards.

That contrast is the story of the upset. Iowa moved the ball farther overall but repeatedly surrendered possessions or field position. Minnesota’s offense struggled too — it was held to 72 rushing yards and scored one touchdown, a one-yard Darius Taylor run in the third quarter — yet its defense and special teams kept the contest close enough for one decisive final drive.

A trophy win with historical significance

The result gave Minnesota its first home win over Iowa since 2014 and its first possession of Floyd of Rosedale since 2023. Minnesota’s athletics department also says the Gophers now hold their three major rivalry trophies — Floyd of Rosedale, the Little Brown Jug and Paul Bunyan’s Axe — simultaneously for the first time since 1978. Iowa, meanwhile, faces questions about turnovers and quarterback execution before hosting Wisconsin on October 31; Minnesota visits Indiana the same day.

What to watch next

The win does not erase Minnesota’s offensive limitations, but it shows how field position, takeaways and a single high-leverage completion can overcome a yardage deficit. Iowa’s next challenge is less about gaining additional yards than protecting the ball. For another dramatic Big Ten finish, see our Indiana–Michigan overtime report.

Sources and video

Featured image: Illustrative archival American-football field photograph by Joshua Hoehne / Unsplash License. It does not depict this game. Original reporting and analysis by Tectonics Media Publications; game statistics and claims attributed above.

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