Des Moines Sun

The Floyd of Rosedale Trophy is staying another year in Iowa after the Hawkeyes beat Minnesota 27-22 for the seventh consecutive time at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. 

The win put the Hawkeyes at 8-2, with a 5-2 record within the Big Ten, according to Hawkeye Sports. The Gophers record drops to 6-4, 4-3 in conference play. Iowa came into the game ranked 20th in the coach’s poll and the win gave the Hawkeyes a nice push up to No. 14.

“Some say last night’s Hawkeye win over Minnesota was ugly,” tweeted Hawkeye Images who offered photos of the game. "I beg to differ.”

It was a tight game between the Big Ten rivals, coming down to the Iowa defense fending off Minnesota twice in the last three minutes, Hawkeye Sports reported. A key play came with 2:18 on the clock, when Zach VanValkenburg recorded a sack for a turnover on downs. Joe Evans also recorded a sack and forced fumble as the clock wound down.

When looking at time of possession, one would think Minnesota would have ended up on top as the Gophers possessed the ball 40:19, compared to 19:41 for Iowa. Minnesota had 409 yards of total offense and 189 on the ground. Iowa had 277 yards of total offense and were led by sophomore Alex Padilla who went 11/24 with 206 yards and a touchdown in his first start, according to Hawkeye Sports.

Floyd, which is now a bronze pig, was once an actual pig that the rivals fought over after a game that had blood boiling on both sides, according to the website of African American Registry. One theory was that African American running back Ozzie Simmons was treated roughly during a 1934 matchup, and the two governors from each state wanted to find a way to ease the tensions. Simmons had started playing at Iowa after being prohibited from playing in Texas due to Jim Crow laws.

The next season Minnesota Gov. Floyd B. Olson created a peace offering, saying that he would bet a Minnesota prize hog against an Iowa prize hog that Minnesota would win in the 1935 matchup, according to African American Registry. Iowa Gov. Clyde Herring accepted and the rest was history. Soon after that first live hog bet, the statuette was sculpted and it stays with the school that wins from year to year.