Nov 12, 2011; Minneapolis, MN, USA: Wisconsin Badgers running back Montee Ball (28) runs in for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Minnesota Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE
Your undefeated non-conference schedule Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2, 0-2) are heading into Camp Randall for the third conference game of the year, and with that, hopefully their first conference win of the year.
Iowa made the Gophers look bad and even though the game was close against Northwestern last weekend, it really wasn’t.
But to the tune of optimism for a team only needing two wins to become bowl eligible, this weekend’s Wisconsin (5-2, 2-1) game will be against a team that has struggled mightily itself, losing to Nebraska and Oregon State, but as Wisconsin fans would remind us: still doing better than the Gophers.
No Russell Wilson this year is a big sigh of relief as some may remember he torched the Gophers last year for 4 touchdowns going 16 for 17 passing and also rushing for 19 yards while leading then No. 18 Badgers to a 42-13 victory.
In that game, the Gophers somehow managed to score two touchdowns, but both were off special teams, including a fake field goal that resulted in a 5 yard touchdown run by placekicker Jordan Wettstein (however, the PAT failed) and a 96 yard kick-off return by Duane Bennett.
The border battle between the Big Ten schools dates back to 1890 and the Gophers are leading the series 59-54-8, but since Paul Bunyan’s Axe was introduced in 1948, Wisconsin has a record of 37-24-3.
The big bad Badgers have had the Axe now for the last eight years while Minnesota has only possessed the Axe twice since 1995.