Iowa holds off Minnesota to secure 10-0 mark

IOWA CITY (AP) — LeShun Daniels rushed for a career-high 195 yards and three touchdowns and No. 8 Iowa held off Minnesota 40-35 on Saturday night to start 10-0 for the first time in school history.

C.J. Beathard threw for 213 yards and ran for two touchdowns for the Hawkeyes (10-0, 6-0 Big Ten, No. 5 CFP).

Iowa can clinch the Big Ten West and a spot in the league title game with a win over Purdue next week.

Gophers running back Shannon Brooks threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Drew Wolitarsky and ran one in from 3 yards out in the final 5:32.

But Daniels scored from 51 yards out with 2:01 left, and Minnesota’s onside kick with 1:16 to go squirted out of bounds.

Mitch Leidner had 259 yards passing and a touchdown for Minnesota (4-6, 1-5), losers of four straight. The Gophers were playing for the first time since Tracy Claeys was named the permanent head coach Wednesday.

Iowa last opened a season 9-0 six years ago. But quarterback Ricky Stanzi sprained his ankle and the Hawkeyes lost at home against Northwestern, ruining their national title hopes.

The Hawkeyes are still alive in 2015 after surviving quite the scare from Minnesota.

But every time the Gophers got close, Daniels, Beathard and the Hawkeyes pushed them back.

Rodrick Williams’ 1-yard run made it a six-point game late in the third quarter. But Beathard answered by finding Tevaun Smith for 29 yards on third down to set up his 1-yard touchdown plunge.

It gave Iowa a 33-21 lead — marking the first time it had ever scored more than 30 points in four straight Big Ten games.

Brooks’ touchdown pass caught the Hawkeyes defense flat-footed. Daniels made up for it though, slicing through the Minnesota front for the longest run of his career.

The Gophers then marched 75 yards in 45 seconds to score — but Ryan Santoso shot his onside-kick attempt out of bounds.

KJ Maye caught seven passes for 106 yards for Minnesota.

Beathard had been battling an undisclosed hip/groin injury for a month. But he looked perfectly healthy on a 1-yard naked bootleg that put Iowa in front 14-7 early in the second half.

Leidner matched Beathard again though, with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Lingen.

Up 17-14 late in the first half, Beathard beat about half the defense on a 26-yard run that set up Daniels for a 2-yard touchdown run that put Iowa up 24-14 at the break.

The Hawkeyes nearly let that lead slip away.

But they made just enough plays to preserve their best start — and more importantly, their playoff hopes.