Kirk Ferentz says Gophers are 'very good' ahead of rivalry game

Ferentz respects Minnesota and veteran QB Max Brosmer ahead of Saturday's matchup.

Nov 13, 2021; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P. J. Fleck (left) and Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz (right) talk before the game at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Saturday will be the seventh all-time meeting between P.J. Fleck and Kirk Ferentz as head coaches. Fleck is 1-6 against the Hawkeyes, with his lone win coming last season. Despite dominating the matchup, Ferentz respects the Gophers heading into the Week 4 contest.

The last three games of the series have been decided by five, three and two points, respectively. After the Gophers lost eight straight to Iowa, it looks like they have closed the gap and made it one of the most competitive annual games in the Big Ten.

"It’s a rivalry game, trophy game. That says enough right there. But most importantly, if you look at the series the last three games, they have been decided by 10 points," Ferentz said. "I think that just kind of tells you the nature of the series and what it’s all about. My guess is this game will probably fall in line with that. As I said, they have a very good football team. They’re veteran, play extremely hard, well-coached, and they’re playing with a lot of confidence right now, and rightfully so."

The Gophers lost their season-opener by only two points against North Carolina, but they answered with back-to-back shutout wins for the first time since 1962 against Rhode Island and Nevada. Ferentz has been impressed by what he's seen, especially from new quarterback Max Brosmer.

"A tough loss in the first game, they come back, and they’ve looked really good the last two weeks. They have good experience across the board and I would include the quarterback," Ferentz said. "He’s a new player, but he is an older guy and is experienced. He’s playing well for them. He’s fit right in with, I think, what they were looking for."

In classic Iowa fashion, he complimented the Gophers' special teams. Kicker Dragan Kesich has rebounded after missing two field goals against North Carolina. Veteran punter Mark Crawford has also had a strong start to the season and Ferentz seems impressed.

"I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention their kicker and punter. They have two outstanding specialists. The kicker was the kicker of the year in the Big Ten last year, and the punter is a veteran guy, very talented, very strong punter. They’re really good in that area," he said.

Minnesota will be a home underdog for the highly-anticipated rematch this Saturday against Iowa. Things will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT as the Gophers try to begin Big Ten play with a win and a second straight victory in the rivalry series for the first time since 2010-11.