PREGAME NOTES
No. 18 Minnesota (8-3 overall, 5-2 Big Ten) at No. 14 Wisconsin (9-2 overall, 6-1 Big Ten)
Madison, Wisconsin – Camp Randall Stadium (80,321)
Saturday 2:30 a.m. CT – BTN
Saturday’s matchup in Madison is what Gopher fans have dreamed of for decades. One game against Wisconsin, winner remains in contention for a Big Ten Title while the other has sit to and wait another month to play again. Both sides certainly understand what is at stake.
“The ability to go to the conference championship is on the line,” said Gary Andersen. “There’s a lot to play for, without question. Put the rivalry game on top of it. Fun spot to be for both teams late in the year.”
The Gophers have extra motivation, trying to turn the tide of the longest running rivalry in college football.
“Our fans, they want us to get after Wisconsin and Wisconsin wants to get after us,” said Kill. “That’s what makes college football what it’s all about. We have to do our part in the rivalry because we haven’t done it in, I think, 10 years. If we’re going to make it a good rivalry, we’ve got to do our part.”
Series History
The series that dates back to 1906 has become razor-thin in recent years. Minnesota still holds the narrow advantage, 59-56-8, but the Badgers have won the last 10 meetings. The Gophers’ last win came back in 2003 while their last win in Madison was a 17-14 victory in 1994.
Unlike the all-time series, the Badgers hold a 39-24-3 edge when playing for Paul Bunyan’s Axe, a tradition that started in 1948. The rivalry reached another level this week as it was announced that the Axe would be presented to the winning team in the locker room to avoid any tension on the field as was seen last year. After a good amount of public backlash, it was “clarified” that the Axe would be set at a goal post rather than on the sideline. While the new policy takes some of the fun away from winning a trophy back, Kill was understanding.
“Whatever their policy is going to be, and I read quickly through it before I came in and so forth is if there’s anything due with the safety of the player, the safety of the game, that’s what we’re supposed to do,” said Kill. “And you don’t want to lose some player for the next week, does something stupid or so forth. Because kids are kids. They’re going to play with intensity and so forth.”
To the Gophers, the location of the trophy is not a concern.
“I don’t think we care where the Axe, where they put it,” said Donnell Kirkwood. “They can put it in the stands and we’ll go get it so it doesn’t bother us.”
Although this is arguably the most important game in 50-60 years, the Gophers know that they have plenty to do to live up to the pregame hype.
“This is an enormous football game,” said Cameron Botticelli. “But what’s been stressed and what really remains important is that we don’t get away from focusing on our preparation. It would be great to sit around and think about how big of a game this is all week and it’d be a shame if we spent more time doing that than preparing and it didn’t turn out our way on Saturday.”
Season to Date
Wisconsin enters Saturday’s contest with a 9-2 overall record; ranked No. 14 in the nation. The Badgers started the season by traveling to Houston, Texas to battle SEC power LSU. The Tigers come out on top, 28-24, in a very physical and entertaining matchup. UW won its next three games, all at home, against overmatched nonconference opponents. The Badgers opened the Big Ten season on the road at Northwestern where they suffered their only conference loss of the season, 20-14. Wisconsin rebounded rattling off its next six games including a blowout win against No. 11 Nebraska (59-24) and narrow victory last week against Iowa, 26-24. The 6-1-conference mark puts the Badgers atop the Big Ten West division.
Coaching Preview
Gary Andersen is in his second season as the head coach at Wisconsin. Last year he led the Badgers to a 9-4 record with victories over Iowa and Minnesota. Prior to taking over the helm in Madison, Andersen spent four seasons as the head coach at Utah State. In 2012, he guided the Aggies to their best season in school history. USU notched 11 wins and captured the WAC league title for the first time since 1936. Andersen was named the WAC Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award. Andersen also spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Utah, his alma mater. He was the Utes’ defensive coordinator in 2008 when they went 13-0 and defeated Alabama, 31-17, in the Sugar Bowl.
Stopping Gordon
Nobody in the conference has been able to stop the nation’s top running back, Melvin Gordon. The Wisconsin native is averaging 191.7 yards per game, 8.3 yards per carry, and has scored 27 total touchdowns. Gordon leads the NCAA with 2109 rushing yards, tying him for the Big Ten record. The top priority for Minnesota will be finding a way to limit Gordon.
“Nobody’s stopped him,” Kill explained. “And it’s one of those things, he’s going to get some yards. And we have to make sure nobody else does anything. They get the passing game going and zone read going and then plus him going, that’s not a good deal. And then we’ve got to keep him from having the 70 and 80 yard runs.”
As they have against other athletic playmakers, the Gophers defense will need to tackle well in the open field to limit the big play.
“[He’s a] good back, got to tackle him well,” said Tracy Claeys. “They do a good job of having two tight ends, and got a lot of blockers in front of him. How well you tackle determines how well you play.”
A big reason for Gordon’s success has been the play of his offensive line.
“They do a good job of recruiting size and they’re well-coached players,” said Cameron Botticelli. “That’s a challenge that we’re prepared to get ready for.”
Last season, the Gophers allowed Gordon to gain just 69 yards and no touchdowns. The defense will look to replicate their performance against the talented back this Saturday.
“I think we did a decent job on him a year ago when we played against him,” said Claeys. “Once he gets to space and he makes somebody miss he can get it over with. And he’s awfully good. Awfully good.”
Matchup to Watch
Although stopping Gordon is the key to Saturday’s game, one of the biggest unknowns will be how a banged up Gopher offense, possibly without David Cobb, will perform against the stout 3-4 defense of Wisconsin.
“We see a little bit of it, people mix it in; but not a whole lot,” said Kill of facing the 3-4. “They’re very good at making adjustments. They take the perimeter away. They take your best plays and they scheme them up within what they do. They’re quick and athletic. And just very, very well coached. I mean very well coached.”
Thankfully for Minnesota, their offense presents a number of challenges for a Wisconsin defense that ranks third in the country in total defense, 2852 yards, and points per game, 16.1.
“[Minnesota’s] extremely difficult to defend,” said Andersen. “They’re very well coached and they cause you all kinds of issues with different types of formations and abnormal scenarios. It goes from normal offense to some versions of, at the end of the day, it’s not really option football but it turns into option football the way they’re using the blockers.”
Even with Cobb listed as questionable, the Gophers know that they have the ability to move the ball against Wisconsin’s 3-4 scheme.
“We’ll have to execute very well,” said Kill. “And we understand that. But we felt like we had to do that the last three ballgames. We’ve got to go in there and go to work and get some repetition.”
Player to Watch
No. 6 Corey Clement – All the talk and focus this week will be on how to stop—or even just contain—Melvin Gordon. But even when the Heisman frontrunner is on the sidelines, the Badgers have another dangerous back that can churn out chunks of yards behind the talented offensive line. The 5-foot-11, 217-pound Clement has rushed for 741 yards and eight touchdowns on just 120 carries. The dynamic duo of Gordon and Clement need a combined 204 yards to break the FBS rushing record by teammates of 3,053. The teammates have collectively been averaging 259.1 yards per game this season.
Background
Location: Madison, Wisc.
Enrollment: 29,118
Conference: Big Ten
Mascot: Bucky Badger
Colors: Cardinal and White
Coach: Gary Andersen (2nd Season)