The Gophers jumped out to a quick lead on Wisconsin, but couldn’t stop the Badger rushing attack early on as Minnesota lost Paul Bunyan’s Axe at home, 31-21.
First Half Woes
Briean Boddy-Calhoun picked off Wisconsin’s first pass and returned it for a touchdown to ignite the crowd. After that, not much went right for the Gophers over the first two quarters. Wisconsin totaled 28 points and 199 rushing yards in the first half.
“They just ran the ball at us,” said Tracy Claeys. “We were having trouble getting them down so we made a couple little adjustments and we got a little bit more downhill. But every time you lose the line of scrimmage and the turnovers, we would start to get a little momentum and then a couple turnovers take away the momentum.”
The Gophers offense wasn’t terrible in the opening two frames, but two turnovers on consecutive drives halted any momentum and put the pressure on the defense.
“You have to stop the run and we did a better job in the second half, we can’t have the turnovers,” said Claeys. “When you play a rivalry game and a good football team, you can’t make those kind of mistakes in the second quarter that we did.”
Kill An Inspiration
It wasn’t enough to pull out the win, but Jerry Kill’s presence on the sidelines was a boost for the Maroon and Gold.
“Definitely a good feeling,” said Mitch Leidner about seeing his former coach. “I love Coach Kill to death. At times you’re in the middle of the game, you look over and see him standing there. It just brings you back to old times. Seeing him in the locker room after the game and everything was like how it was before. It was awesome to see him out there tonight.”
Kill participated in the Senior Day ceremony, an act his graduating players were grateful for.
“It was great seeing Coach Kill,” said Boddy-Calhoun. “Just being able to bond with him and see him on the sidelines was amazing.”
Season Likely Over
Following the loss, the Gophers sit at 5-7 and just 2-6 in the Big Ten. There’s still an outside chance Minnesota could get to a bowl game, but right now that looks slim.
“It would be unbelievable to play another game, and get another game for the seniors,” said Nick Rallis. “If it does happen, great. It if it doesn’t, we move and we start the offseason right away and we start preparing.”
Looking back on the season, it’s a lot of what “might have been” if the Gophers weren’t caught by an ever-present injury bug.
“Injuries are a part of football and you can’t use it as an excuse,” said Claeys. “We have just had a tremendous amount of them. Kids have missed several games. You always have kids miss one game here or there so after that we never got a lineup with our best football teams or players. That’s not against the kids that lined up and played because they worked their tail ends off.”
For the Gophers, it was a sad end to a year that started with high hopes.
“We set goals and expectations at the beginning of the season,” said Mitch Leidner. “Based off of what happened last year, we had high goals and expectations. We didn’t meet those goals and it’s tough.”
For the seniors, the loss means an end to their season and career in the Maroon and Gold.
“I’m still grasping it,” said Boddy-Calhoun. “I got all of my tears out. I’m starting to look at the positives and looking forward to the banquet tomorrow. That’s always exciting. It’s a nice team thing to do. Right now I’m just in awe, just trying to figure out what is next.”
Looking back, there are plenty of positives to take away from a career as a Gopher.
“I got some great coaching,” said Boddy-Calhoun. “I got some great brothers and teammates. I think the relationships I’ve made on the field and off the field with some of my classmates is great. I think those relationships will carry on forever.”
By The Numbers
99 Tackles this season for senior Antonio Johnson; which led the team. Cody Poock finished second on the team with 95 tackles, including 4.5 for loss.
65 Receptions for KJ Maye this season. He also finished with 706 yards and four touchdowns. The senior’s reception total ranks fourth all-time on Minnesota’s single-season list.
24 The number of players who played their last game for the Maroon and Gold; barring a surprising bowl invitation. Thank you to all the seniors and redshirt juniors for their effort, dedication, and winning a few rivalry trophies along the way.