NoelarBear
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Rival Fans Talk: Scary Alvarez answers GopherHole questions. - GopherHole.com
The college football slate this Saturday will feature one of the best rivalries in the country when Minnesota takes on Wisconsin. It is the most-played rivalry in NCAA Division I football. With 133 meetings between the two programs, it is also the longest continuously played rivalry in Division...
The college football slate this Saturday will feature one of the best rivalries in the country when Minnesota takes on Wisconsin. It is the most-played rivalry in NCAA Division I football. With 133 meetings between the two programs, it is also the longest continuously played rivalry in Division I FBS, with an uninterrupted streak of 117 games heading into the 2024 meeting.
Both teams have a ton of history, and there is plenty of hatred between the two programs. The Gophers and Badgers have their fair share of diehard fans. I thought it would be cool to talk to one of the most diehard Wisconsin fans on X. Mr. Scary Alvarez (@barryisthedon)
When it comes to fan accounts for Wisconsin, Scary Alvarez is at the top of the list when it comes to dedication and love for Wisconsin and also stirring the pot with Minnesota fans.
I have always enjoyed our respectful banter between us two. So I sent him a few questions in honor of the Border Battle this weekend.
1. What is your favorite Wisconsin memory/moment when it comes to the rivalry of Minnesota and Wisconsin?
This one is easy: the 2005 Axe game in the Metrodome. Minnesota had a lead and basically just needed to execute a punt from deep in its own territory to (likely) win the game. But, like a lightning bolt that deflated the dome, the punt was blocked by the Badgers' DeAndre Levy and recovered by Wisconsin in the end zone, handing Bucky one of the most improbable wins in school history. "Touchdown, Badgers. Unbelievable. Simply shocking" is still music to my ears almost 20 years later.
2. What is your least favorite memory or moment when it comes to the rivalry of Minnesota and Wisconsin?
Although they recovered to win a Rose Bowl and finish #6 in college football, the Badgers' sole loss of the 1993 season came at the hands of the Gophers, who parlayed five Darrell Bevell interceptions into a 28-21 upset. The win sent Minneapolis into euphoria, and there was nothing flukely about it; Minnesota deserved to win that night.
3. In your life span, have there been any Gopher players that earned your respect? Any players from Minnesota that you were worried about beating you on the field?
I've long respected the toughness and no-BS attitude that the Gophers usually play with, especially on defense and the O-Line. I always thought that Antoine Winfield Jr. was an absolute beast that I would have loved to see in a Badger uniform.
4. Do you have a least favorite Minnesota player? Anyone you thought was overrated or got on your nerves for any particular reason?
I was never enamored with the Gophers RBs who gashed our defense, but the only Gophers who've really gotten under my skin are two coaches: Tim Brewster, who is just kind of a dick, and PJ Fleck, a bit of a showboat who always knows where the cameras are, gets a lot of goddamn hype for being the Big Ten's most okayest football coach. Almost done with year eight, and the guy is under.500 (33-36) in league play after taking over a 9-win team and spending seven seasons in the West Division. A lot of people (not just Gophers fans) are buying what Fleck is selling, but I'm not one of them. Given how deep and tough the Big Ten has become, I suspect he'll leave Minnesota for the first good job that comes his way. Keep an eye on North Carolina right now. And he'll do Row The Boat 3.0 down there; bank it.
5. Big game for both teams this weekend. Care to give us what you will think will happen this Friday?
Wisconsin has had an up-and-down season with a much more difficult schedule than Minnesota, but the fact is the Gophers have generally been a better, more consistent team than Wisconsin. They have an identity, which has been a big ask for the Badgers, who already fired OC Phil Longo and are likely not done with shuffling their coaching staff. An 11 AM kickoff on Friday with students on break isn't ideal for the Badgers, but if they want a bowl game (without an embarrassing academic exception for 5 wins), they'll need to sack up and power through. A Gophers win would far from shock me, and I'd probably consider them a favorite. While Wisconsin has been a disaster on the road most weeks, they've been far better at home, so I'll say this will be a tight one that the Badgers somehow squeak out, 20-17, keeping the Axe in Madison.
