MINNEAPOLIS -- With an 8-2 record, the Gophers
football team's season can already be considered a success. But a win Saturday
against one of its biggest rivals would only make the 2013 season more special
for Minnesota. Wisconsin comes to town Saturday with an identical 8-2 record as
the Gophers and Badgers play the latest installment of the longest-running
rivalry in FBS football. These two teams have squared off since 1890 -- a game
Minnesota won 63-0 -- meaning Saturday will be the 123rd installment of the
border battle rivalry. It's the most highly anticipated game in years for
Gophers fans, and one that should provide for a great atmosphere on Saturday at
TCF Bank Stadium. Here are five things to watch for in this year's rivalry
game.
1. Is this the year Paul
Bunyan's Axe finally returns to Minnesota?
Not since 2003 have the Gophers won the coveted trophy
awarded annually to the winner of this rivalry. Wisconsin has dominated the
rivalry in recent years, winning the last nine contests. Third-year Minnesota
coach Jerry Kill didn't come close to winning the Axe in each of his first two
seasons, but this year's team is different. The Gophers enter Saturday's game
with an 8-2 record, the highest win total for a game against Wisconsin since
Minnesota last beat the Badgers in 2003. With each of the Gophers' last four
wins, the confidence of the players has continued to build. Minnesota now truly
believes it can compete with anyone in the Big Ten, including Wisconsin.
There's no doubt that this is Kill's biggest game of his three-year tenure and
likely the biggest game on campus in a long time. Minnesota even held a pep
rally downtown Minneapolis on Friday to help kick off the weekend. The Gophers
don't just do that for any game. With a re-energized fan base and an optimistic
group of players, Minnesota feels that Paul Bunyan's Axe can finally reside
once again in Dinkytown.
2. Can the Gophers defense
at least limit Wisconsin's running attack?
There's no surprise as to what the Badgers will plan to do
on offense this Saturday: run, and run often. Wisconsin boasts a pair of
1,000-yard running backs in James White and Melvin Gordon, and a freshman in
Corey Clement that is also capable of eating up yards. The Badgers are
averaging 307.9 rushing yards per game, seventh-most in the nation. Against a
porous Indiana defense last weekend, Wisconsin was able to gain a whopping 554
rushing yards. Minnesota's rushing defense has had a few holes in recent games,
as Nebraska, Indiana and Penn State all had some success on the ground against
the Gophers. Minnesota will need to at least limit the damage that Gordon and
White do on the ground and force Badgers quarterback Joel Stave to complete
some passes. That's certainly a task that's easier said than done, but the
Gophers feel they're up for the challenge.
3. How will Minnesota's
offense adjust to the Badgers' 3-4 defense?
Everyone talks about Wisconsin's powerful running offense,
but the Badgers' defense deserves plenty of credit, too, for this year's
success. Wisconsin has allowed just 14 points per game, fifth fewest in all of
college football. The Badgers, who have switched to a 3-4 defense under
first-year head coach Gary Andersen, held high-scoring Indiana to just three
points last weekend. That 3-4 look is something the Gophers haven't seen yet
this year, and could give Minnesota's offense fits.
"That's unique in the conference," Kill said.
"It makes it very difficult to prepare for. There's not a lot of people,
really, that have moved the football very well (against Wisconsin). That's
what's made them better."
In order have success against Wisconsin's defense, Minnesota
will need to establish a balanced attack. Look for running back David Cobb to
once again be the workhorse in the running game. Meanwhile, quarterback Philip
Nelson will have to be able to make some plays with his arm to keep the
Badgers' defense on its toes.
4. Will Derrick Engel suit up for the Gophers? If not,
which receivers will step up?
Kill has been coy about the status of Engel, who suffered a
knee injury in practice Sunday. There were rumors that Engel tore his ACL, but
the team has yet to give an official diagnosis of Engel's status. He was listed
as questionable on the depth chart released Thursday but was not listed as a
receiver on the two-deep chart. Engel is Minnesota's top receiver, leading the
team in catches (25), receiving yards (401) and touchdown receptions (5). The
Gophers will likely have to establish some type of a passing game, a task that
becomes tougher if Engel is indeed out. That opens the door for freshmen wide
receivers Drew Wolitarsky and Donovahn Jones to see some increased playing
time. Wolitarsky has eight catches for 109 yards, all of which has come during
the Big Ten portion of the schedule, and continues to improve. The same goes
for Jones, a quarterback-turned-wide receiver who has six catches -- five of
which have come in the last two games. Tight end Maxx Williams, already a key
target in the passing game, will become an even more valuable weapon if Engel
is sidelined.
5. How much will the weather
impact Saturday's game?
This year's border battle will likely be the coldest game
ever played in the five-year history of TCF Bank Stadium. The lowest temperature
at kickoff for any game in the stadium was 23 degrees against Iowa back on Nov.
27, 2010. Minnesota has lucked out with weather this year, as the coldest game
at kickoff was 42 degrees against Nebraska. However, forecasts are calling for
high temperatures of just 18 degrees on Saturday in Minneapolis. Fans in the
stands will surely need to add extra layers, as will the players on the field.
Heaters will be placed on both sidelines to help keep the teams warm. Frigid
temperatures like that would likely impact the passing game more than the
running game, but both teams are already run-first offenses.
"If you love football, it don't matter what the weather
is," Kill said. "You get coat on and get your cup of coffee --
I'm sure they're drinking more than a cup of coffee. At the end of the day,
what better atmosphere or better game to go to?"
