5 takeaways from Minnesota's embarrassing blowout loss against Iowa

The Gophers were completely dominated in their annual rivalry game with Iowa. Minnesota looked unprepared and confused, and the Hawkeyes took advantage. Let's breakdown the five biggest takeaways from their blowout loss.

Disastrous start

This week was Minnesota's seventh game against a power conference opponent this season. The only time they scored first was against No. 1 Ohio State on the road. Things could not have gotten off to a worse start in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes opened with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, and the Gophers' offense responded with a three-and-out.

Minnesota's defense forced an Iowa field goal on the next drive, and right when it seemed like there was a little momentum, Drake Lindsey threw the first pick-six of his career, and Iowa led 17-0. Iowa is always a unique opponent, and a 17-0 first-quarter deficit is essentially a fatal blow.

Moment too big for Drake Lindsey?

Despite being a redshirt freshman, Lindsey hasn't looked dramatically overwhelmed as a first-year starter. That was not the case on Saturday; he looked completely lost. A pick-six within your first four plays during a start on the road doesn't help, but he looked uncomfortable, and Minnesota's offense had zero answer all afternoon.

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Darius Taylor's health

Taylor is one of the best running backs in the country when healthy, but continues to struggle with staying on the field. He has already missed two games this season due to a hamstring injury, and he left Saturday's game against Iowa after just one carry. Minnesota is at its best when he's on the field, but that hasn't been often over the last three years.

Undisciplined and unprepared

Saturday's game felt huge for a multitude of reasons, which means there was zero excuse for how little Minnesota looked prepared for the moment. Fleck has had more than enough tries against the Hawkeyes to understand what it takes to beat a Kirk Ferentz-led football team. It's one thing to put up a clunker at home against an inferior opponent, but being unprepared for a rivalry game in year nine is alarming.

Concerning trends from Danny Collins' defense

It has been an up-and-down season for Collins in his first season as Minnesota's defensive coordinator. After Minnesota's best defensive performance of the season, they've reverted to some concerning trends. Iowa has one of its best offenses in years, but that's not an excuse for allowing the Hawkeyes to run up the scoreboard.