Saturday afternoon No. 19 Wisconsin (5-1 Big Ten, 8-2 overall) travels to Minneapolis to square off against No. 25 Minnesota (4-2, 8-2).
The battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe is expected to be a cold one, with a projected high of 18 degrees Fahrenheit.
Late November football becomes an entirely different game than the late August and September games earlier in the season, when players and coaches need to deal with injuries and weekly beatings sustained throughout the year.
In below-freezing temperatures the ball becomes more firm, making kicking and passing much more difficult. Players need to adjust, keep warm and stay loose.
“When it’s 12 degrees, you need to adjust how you prepare, catch the ball better if your hands aren’t as warm as they can be. That’s just a well-known fact,” head coach Gary Andersen said.
“If you get all seized up on the sideline your risk for injury is much higher.”
In the most historic rivalry in college football, Minnesota and Wisconsin meet for the 123rd time.
The Gophers lead the all-time record 58-56-8. Before the current axe trophy, the two teams used to face off for a slab of bacon. The Badgers have held the current prize, Paul Bunyan’s Axe, for the last nine years. Minnesota has been riding a four-game Big Ten win streak and has the same overall record as the Badgers at 8-2.
Wisconsin has an arguably more difficult schedule this season than in the past, losing to undefeated No. 3 Ohio State and No. 17 ASU, both on the road. Minnesota has lost to both Michigan and Iowa, whom Wisconsin beat for the Heartland trophy earlier this month.
The Badgers have showcased their running game all season, unleashing senior running back James White and red shirt sophomore Melvin Gordon, both of whom have over 1,000 rushing yards this season.
In comparison the Gophers’ leading rusher, junior David Cobb, has only 970 yards on 175 attempts. Cobb is averaging 94.2 yards a game.
Wisconsin is also boasting a statistically better quarterback, redshirt sophomore Joel Stave.
The Badgers’ signal caller has 1,948 passing yards and 16 touchdowns this season, while Minnesota’s sophomore quarterback Philip Nelson has passed for 1,128 yards and nine touchdowns in comparison.
Redshirt junior Dallas Lewallen, out the last two games with a knee injury, is currently a game-time decision at center for the Badgers, while redshirt offensive line Dan Voltz is expected to start for Wisconsin.
With a lot of Gopher pride on the line and old man winter attending the game Saturday the Badgers will have to travel to Minneapolis prepared.
“As we all know in rivalries like this, it’s a one-game championship,” Andersen said. “It’s three hours and whatever minutes it takes to get it done.”
