With all the PSU/Paterno, marching band, and random wisky hating threads, let talk expectations for this game.
I honestly was wary of hoping for much at first, but then saw that wisky hadn't rolled us at home since 83', some bad teams have kept pace with wisky even in some good years for them.
I'm not a believer in wisky's D, it's fine, but certainly not better than MSU, and maybe not better than iowee.
Their O is formidable, passing and running. Buying a free agent all american QB will help a team like wisconsin do that. I fully expect them to return to the pack in the future post Russell Wilson and have a neutered passing attack like they usually do. But we're talking this year.
Our Gophers are confident, but we're still young in general up front and thin in general everywhere, bad combos even for a normal wisky attack which basically is a herd of sconnie big boys pulling and crashing against the defense like a buffet line dash in green bay. It's going to take a few things going our way to overcome and give ourselves a chance. There is however a chance.
I remember 07' when the seniors on a 1-10 team showed up and gave themselves up on every play, Decker torched Ikawhosit, Weber slung it around, most memorable play however was Justin Valentine getting 3 yards after contact with the wisky defenders, a miss-used senior dragging linebackers for all he could gain. We lost in OT, a tough game that we quite frankly couldn't win with the lack of speed on our defense that year, nonetheless the worst team in gopher history this side of Joe Salem came within 7 on the backs of seniors who gave their all.
But no axe.
08' we caught BB off guard like a simple math question, we had them confused, beaten down, took a big lead ON THE ROAD at Madison, snow fell, emotions ran high. Our youth gave us energy, freshmen receivers took up Decker's slack, plugged the wisky running game early but also did us in with boneheaded personal foul penalties by Kirksey, and key fumbles by Stoudemire. We faltered and lost a heartbreaker in the snow.
No axe again.
09' In our new stadium, we took a 3rd lead into halftime in 3 years, Decker torching the secondary, this time we could taste it, I remember Cooper and Theret slamming into John Clay and the wisky guards to no avail, 200 lbs against 270, 215 against 330, the tackles were made but our rush defense wasn't beefy enough, we even stripped Zach Brown and took the ball back for 6. We weren't there yet, our players simply didn't have the big ten bodies to smash and penetrate their running game. We just fell short again, no axe.
10' was a mess from the home opener on, painful and exasperating, we suddenly found many of the Big Ten bodies we had counted on were gone, and their replacements were even greener than the 08' squad. We gave it a go, 14-9 at the half, but after Aaron Hill stripped a wisky offender and the refs whistled it dead the little wind we had went out of our sails, BB ran it up like his bathroom scale and went for 2 on Brewster.
No axe, no hope, or is there?
In 2008 the Iowa Hawkeye beat our Gophers at home on senior night 55-0, as bad of a game as I can recall. Ryan Wynn being tossed aside as Mitch King and company slaughtered Weber, and Shaun Greene bounced off gopher defenders like a JUCO dropout pinball. I stayed until the final second thinking we may not beat iowa for 10 years. They were stacked, young, and Ferentz was building an NFL squad in Iowa city. BUT.
Just 2 seasons later, on the heels of another bad season with our head coach fired, our program in the grip of a milquetoast horror with directors cup standings taped to the empty seats of TCF Bank in only it's second year.
We entered a rivalry game again with the same Iowa city squad that walloped us in 08, just all growed up, and overcame.
We won.
For no reason whatsoever but pride and the blood and sweat(and tears) the seniors sacrificed on the field that day, we won.
I know, wisky is no iowee, they demolished Kill's former team NIU, they are 2 plays away from a nation...HA I can't even write it...HAHAHA, sorry. Where was I oh yeah wisky.
This team is better than the 07 squad, and the remaining young kids that faltered late in the cold of Camp Randall in 08 are still here, our coaching staff will have a plan, our fans will be loud, our opponents' fans very drunk.
When this team hits the field and the first tackle is made on either side, we will see if pride will be fought for, if blood will be spilt, if indeed scores can be thrown out and history matters ONLY in this game, maybe, just maybe, we have a chance, and the shocked face of BB wobbling through a sea of Maroon and gold students will only be a consolation to the prize.
An Axe.
OUR AXE.
Go get it back boys!
I honestly was wary of hoping for much at first, but then saw that wisky hadn't rolled us at home since 83', some bad teams have kept pace with wisky even in some good years for them.
I'm not a believer in wisky's D, it's fine, but certainly not better than MSU, and maybe not better than iowee.
Their O is formidable, passing and running. Buying a free agent all american QB will help a team like wisconsin do that. I fully expect them to return to the pack in the future post Russell Wilson and have a neutered passing attack like they usually do. But we're talking this year.
Our Gophers are confident, but we're still young in general up front and thin in general everywhere, bad combos even for a normal wisky attack which basically is a herd of sconnie big boys pulling and crashing against the defense like a buffet line dash in green bay. It's going to take a few things going our way to overcome and give ourselves a chance. There is however a chance.
I remember 07' when the seniors on a 1-10 team showed up and gave themselves up on every play, Decker torched Ikawhosit, Weber slung it around, most memorable play however was Justin Valentine getting 3 yards after contact with the wisky defenders, a miss-used senior dragging linebackers for all he could gain. We lost in OT, a tough game that we quite frankly couldn't win with the lack of speed on our defense that year, nonetheless the worst team in gopher history this side of Joe Salem came within 7 on the backs of seniors who gave their all.
But no axe.
08' we caught BB off guard like a simple math question, we had them confused, beaten down, took a big lead ON THE ROAD at Madison, snow fell, emotions ran high. Our youth gave us energy, freshmen receivers took up Decker's slack, plugged the wisky running game early but also did us in with boneheaded personal foul penalties by Kirksey, and key fumbles by Stoudemire. We faltered and lost a heartbreaker in the snow.
No axe again.
09' In our new stadium, we took a 3rd lead into halftime in 3 years, Decker torching the secondary, this time we could taste it, I remember Cooper and Theret slamming into John Clay and the wisky guards to no avail, 200 lbs against 270, 215 against 330, the tackles were made but our rush defense wasn't beefy enough, we even stripped Zach Brown and took the ball back for 6. We weren't there yet, our players simply didn't have the big ten bodies to smash and penetrate their running game. We just fell short again, no axe.
10' was a mess from the home opener on, painful and exasperating, we suddenly found many of the Big Ten bodies we had counted on were gone, and their replacements were even greener than the 08' squad. We gave it a go, 14-9 at the half, but after Aaron Hill stripped a wisky offender and the refs whistled it dead the little wind we had went out of our sails, BB ran it up like his bathroom scale and went for 2 on Brewster.
No axe, no hope, or is there?
In 2008 the Iowa Hawkeye beat our Gophers at home on senior night 55-0, as bad of a game as I can recall. Ryan Wynn being tossed aside as Mitch King and company slaughtered Weber, and Shaun Greene bounced off gopher defenders like a JUCO dropout pinball. I stayed until the final second thinking we may not beat iowa for 10 years. They were stacked, young, and Ferentz was building an NFL squad in Iowa city. BUT.
Just 2 seasons later, on the heels of another bad season with our head coach fired, our program in the grip of a milquetoast horror with directors cup standings taped to the empty seats of TCF Bank in only it's second year.
We entered a rivalry game again with the same Iowa city squad that walloped us in 08, just all growed up, and overcame.
We won.
For no reason whatsoever but pride and the blood and sweat(and tears) the seniors sacrificed on the field that day, we won.
I know, wisky is no iowee, they demolished Kill's former team NIU, they are 2 plays away from a nation...HA I can't even write it...HAHAHA, sorry. Where was I oh yeah wisky.
This team is better than the 07 squad, and the remaining young kids that faltered late in the cold of Camp Randall in 08 are still here, our coaching staff will have a plan, our fans will be loud, our opponents' fans very drunk.
When this team hits the field and the first tackle is made on either side, we will see if pride will be fought for, if blood will be spilt, if indeed scores can be thrown out and history matters ONLY in this game, maybe, just maybe, we have a chance, and the shocked face of BB wobbling through a sea of Maroon and gold students will only be a consolation to the prize.
An Axe.
OUR AXE.
Go get it back boys!
