BleedGopher
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per ESPN:
Coaching
Jerry Kill, in his fourth year with the Gophers, has engineered a remarkable rise, guiding Minnesota to two straight eight-win seasons, an accomplishment equaled just once in the past half-century at the school. Kill's secret is continuity. His staff includes six former players, and nine Minnesota assistants have combined to work under Kill for 110 years -- unmatched nationally.
He's not likely to win the award, but there's a case to be made for Gary Andersen as league coach of the year if this game works out well for Wisconsin. Andersen navigated a sticky situation with Stave and kept the Badgers on track after a potentially devastating loss at Northwestern. Wisconsin has played to its strengths as well as any team in the league and has improved consistently in the past six weeks.
Intangibles
Minnesota has already proved wrong its many doubters by making it here with a chance to win the West. So why not finish the job? The 10-year losing streak in this series motivates the Gophers, who do all the little things right. For instance, Minnesota's fourth-down conversion rate leads the nation and it ranks sixth in turnover margin.
Wisconsin has been here before. It plays on the big stage regularly and advanced to the league title game in 2011 and 2012. The Badgers' six-game winning streak in conference games trails only Florida State and Ohio State. Camp Randall Stadium provides an important advantage. It's Senior Day. And the best player in the game -- maybe in the country -- wears No. 25 for the Badgers.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/111685/tale-of-the-tape-minnesota-vs-wisconsin
Go Gophers!!
Coaching
Jerry Kill, in his fourth year with the Gophers, has engineered a remarkable rise, guiding Minnesota to two straight eight-win seasons, an accomplishment equaled just once in the past half-century at the school. Kill's secret is continuity. His staff includes six former players, and nine Minnesota assistants have combined to work under Kill for 110 years -- unmatched nationally.
He's not likely to win the award, but there's a case to be made for Gary Andersen as league coach of the year if this game works out well for Wisconsin. Andersen navigated a sticky situation with Stave and kept the Badgers on track after a potentially devastating loss at Northwestern. Wisconsin has played to its strengths as well as any team in the league and has improved consistently in the past six weeks.
Intangibles
Minnesota has already proved wrong its many doubters by making it here with a chance to win the West. So why not finish the job? The 10-year losing streak in this series motivates the Gophers, who do all the little things right. For instance, Minnesota's fourth-down conversion rate leads the nation and it ranks sixth in turnover margin.
Wisconsin has been here before. It plays on the big stage regularly and advanced to the league title game in 2011 and 2012. The Badgers' six-game winning streak in conference games trails only Florida State and Ohio State. Camp Randall Stadium provides an important advantage. It's Senior Day. And the best player in the game -- maybe in the country -- wears No. 25 for the Badgers.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/111685/tale-of-the-tape-minnesota-vs-wisconsin
Go Gophers!!