The battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe was a defining chapter in the Badgers' season. All year, the mantra for the Badgers has been \1-0"" and they have achieved their goal so far. After nearly every game, however, Head Coach Barry Alvarez has also said, ""I think the offense has some things to improve on."" Saturday, they finally did.
The only concern for the Badgers was the status of freshman kicker Taylor Melhaff's leg. He was forced to kick three times in the first quarter alone. Each kick was a little shorter than the last, but that was just about the only thing Head Coach Barry Alvarez and the Badgers had to worry about.
Wisconsin started out conservatively, running the ball eight times in their first drive. The offensive line manhandled the Gophers, and it seemed like senior running back Anthony Davis would dominate the game and run all over the Gophers' defense. That was only half the story.
Sophomore quarterback John Stocco was nothing short of incredible. In the Badgers' second drive, Stocco went six for seven passing with 59 yards. Not only were the stats impressive, Stocco was impressive. He showed poise in the pocket, went through his check-downs and found open receivers. It was as if Stocco had made a transformation from ""insecure-but-promising sophomore"" to ""poised-and-collected quarterback.""
""He's seeing things really well. He's getting to secondary and even third targets, which is impressive,"" offensive coordinator Brian White said.
Stocco finished with a career-high 297 yards passing without any turnovers. He threw one touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Jonathan Orr and rushed for two touchdowns as well. Although he was sacked three times, Stocco made things happen on the ground, rushing for 26 yards and picking up a key first down.
""Our receivers made some outstanding plays throughout the whole game. All I really did was throw it up to them and they just made outstanding plays for us. The line blocked their asses off. It was just a team effort,"" said Stocco.
While Stocco had plenty of help from his receivers and running backs, his performance was simply an evolution of a former self. On a third-and-13 toward the end of the first half, the Badgers went with five wideouts giving Stocco plenty of targets. In an earlier game Stocco would have most likely stared down one receiver. But not this time.
Stocco checked down through all five wideouts, stepped up in the pocket with confidence and connected with senior receiver Darrin Charles on a drag route. This sort of play has not surfaced in Stocco's game on a regular basis, but recently this kind of play has been evident in practice.
""I told [a radio show] that [Stocco] really had a excellent week of practice. He was driving the ball, he really knew where to go with the football. I thought every week he's taken another step. You can see the confidence he has. We felt very comfortable throwing the ball,"" said Alvarez.
Everything went just as Alvarez might have dreamt for the Badgers. As most Badger teams of the past have done, they established a running game early and controlled the time of possession. In fact, Minnesota had the ball for a total of 15:29-just over one fourth of the game.
The defense was dominant, as usual, but this time didn't need to carry the team alone. The lift Stocco gave the Badgers forced Minnesota to deviate from their usual attack. Instead of coming at the Badgers with the two-headed backfield of sophomore Lawrence Maroney and junior Marion Barber III, the 21-point deficit at the end of the first quarter forced the Gophers to rely on the pass.
This game gives even more hope to an already flourishing Badger football team. With a two-dimensional offense and a stifling defense, the Badgers can compete with anyone. As it was the last home game for the seniors, this game was a goodbye in one sense, but it was also a coming-of-age party for Stocco.
