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Gophers players, fans celebrate win over Iowa
The Minnesota Gophers have defeated Iowa for the first time in three years, and players and fans rushed the field to celebrate.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - If you’re a Minnesota sports fan, you probably woke up Monday morning on cloud nine.
The Minnesota Vikings are 6-0, the Gophers football team pulled off an upset of No. 15-ranked Iowa, the Timberwolves are off to a 3-0 start, the Wild got a win in Quinn Hughes’ return to Vancouver and the Gophers’ hockey teams got sweeps.
Let’s recap all the winning.
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Vikings locker room reacts after 16-10 win over Colts, 6-0 start
Vikings players Harrison Smith, Byron Murphy Jr., Will Reichard, T.J. Hockenson, Josh Metellus and Blake Cashman react from the locker room after a 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings are 6-0 for the first time since 2009.
Vikings beat Colts, 16-10
The backstory:
The Vikings didn’t exactly fast start out of the bye week, but made plays when it mattered in a 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday to improve to 6-0. Harrison Smith’s 40th career interception sealed the win. Kyler Murray hit T.J. Hockenson for the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter, Will Reichard made three field goals and Blake Cashman might have had the best game of his career at linebacker.
It was a win the Vikings had to have, as their next four games are brutal. They’re at the Detroit Lions next Sunday, then host the Buffalo Bills for Monday Night Football, then travel to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers and host the San Francisco 49ers.
Enjoy it, Vikings fans. They’re the only undefeated team left in the NFL after the 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs both lost Sunday.
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Gopher fans rush field after Iowa win
Gopher fans and players rushed the field after a major homecoming win against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Video credit: John Hunter
Gophers upset Iowa, win Floyd of Rosedale
Why you should care:
For the second time this year, there was a field rush at Huntington Bank Stadium after the Gophers beat No. 15-ranked Iowa 13-10 to take back Floyd of Rosedale. Luke Drzewiecki’s 47-yard field goal as time expired was right down the middle, and the race was on to grab the prized big.
A sellout crowd of more than 50,000 celebrated the rivalry win, which was P.J. Fleck’s first home win over the Hawkeyes and second win in the series. Next up, the Gophers are at No. 4-ranked Indiana, which needed overtime to beat Michigan on Saturday. College Gameday will be on-site as the Hoosiers host the Gophers.
For the first time since 1978, the Gophers' football program currently possesses the Little Brown Jug, Paul Bunyan's Axe and Floyd of Rosedale at the same time.
Quinn Hughes scores in return to Vancouver, Wild win 4-2
The Minnesota Wild were at Vancouver Sunday night in Quinn Hughes’ first game against his former team since last year’s trade. Hughes scored in his return, as did Kirill Kaprizov, and the Wild earned a 4-2 win to improve to 8-3-2 on the season. They’re atop the Western Conference Standings.
Hughes had fans and social media buzzing heading into Sunday’s game. He talked with reporters after Saturday’s practice about how much he loves Minnesota, playing for the Wild and a new contract could be coming soon.
Hughes is in the last year of a six-year, $47.1 million deal, and the Wild want to keep him on an extension.
Timberwolves stay hot, start season 3-0
The Timberwolves changed their identity in the offseason, parting ways with Julius Randle and Naz Reid to get a little smaller and play faster. So far, so good. With LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga on the roster, the Timberwolves are 3-0 with all three wins by 20-plus points. Sunday night, they beat the Toronto Raptors 117-94 in the home opener at Target Center.
Ball might have had the highlight of the night, putting a Raptors’ defender on skates before hitting a step-back 3-pointer. It had the entire Timberwolves’ bench giddy.
Gophers hockey teams earn sweeps
Not to be forgotten are the Gophers’ men’s and women’s hockey teams, which each earned weekend sweeps. The Gopher men got a pair of 5-3 wins over the Fighting Hawks, with Jim Rich and Pat Micheletti on the call. They had a 4-1 lead Thursday night before needing an empty net goal to seal a win over No. 3-ranked North Dakota. Friday, Wyatt Cullen got a hat trick for the Gophers.
The Gopher women are 7-1 after sweeping Lindenwood 11-0 and 5-2 at Ridder Arena.