P.J. Fleck makes surprising admission about Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium

Minnesota will be entering a hostile environment on Saturday afternoon.

Oct 18, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; A general view of Kinnick Stadium during the second quarter between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Gophers broke a 10-game losing streak at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium when they knocked off the Hawkeyes in 2023. This Saturday will be their first time back playing at what P.J. Fleck thinks is one of the toughest places to play in college football.

"It's incredibly loud, it's hostile, it has got great tradition. Their fans — they really care about Hawkeye football. It's a unique place to play, that's for sure," Fleck said. "Somebody asked me a long time ago, what's the hardest place to play? I have always told them Kinnick [Stadium]."

Minnesota hasn't won back-to-back games in Iowa City since the 1979 and 1981 seasons. Iowa's most-played opponent in its program's history is the Golden Gophers. Floyd of Rosedale makes it one of the most historic rivalries in the sport. Fleck thinks the challenge of playing at Kinnick Stadium goes beyond that.

"This goes way back, even before Western Michigan. When I was a player at Northern Illinois, I happened to play against Iowa all the time," he continued. "I remember a game when I was at Ohio State, as a GA, we were No. 1 in the country, and went into Kinnick at night, and that was one of the most challenging environments... that was the one game on the road that I thought we struggled with."

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Since becoming head coach of the Gophers, Fleck has coached games at historic venues such as Penn State's Beaver Stadium, the Big House in Ann Arbor and Ohio Stadium in Columbus, among others. The fact that he puts Kinnick Stadium at No. 1 feels like quite the endorsement.

"The crowd, the atmosphere, and then you throw the football team of Iowa in there, who never beats themself, who's really disciplined, who loves playing the game," Fleck continued. "It seems like they just plug and replace... and they win."

The Gophers' win over Iowa in 2023 was Fleck's first time winning Floyd of Rosedale. He fully understands the challenge Minnesota faces this weekend. Iowa is 5-2 this season, with its only losses coming against Indiana and Iowa State. A win could completely change the outlook of the season.

Saturday's game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT, and it will be broadcast nationally on CBS. It will be the 119th all-time meeting between Minnesota and Iowa.