The last week of the regular season is here, and with that comes Rivalry Week, when powerhouses like Ohio State and Michigan, or Alabama and Auburn collide. Lost in the shuffle, however, is a fierce rivalry with one of the most interesting traditions in college football: Wisconsin (5-2 Big Ten, 8-3 overall) versus Minnesota (2-5, 5-6) in the Battle for the Axe.
For those unfamiliar, the two teams grind it out for 60 minutes, and the winner, wielding a 6-foot-tall wooden axe pantomimes chopping down the goalposts. The “lumberjacks” are typically seniors, with the other team members surrounding them, yelling and celebrating.
“We go out there and play the game, but that’s the seniors’ memory, winning the Axe game their senior year. So they’re the ones that do the honors,” junior running back Dare Ogunbowale said.
This years’ meeting of border rivals is relatively emblematic of the rivalry as a whole: The Big Ten title isn’t on the line, but the bragging rights and trophy still are.
This year’s Golden Gophers have a worse record than the Badgers, but their conference schedule is significantly more rigorous, with Wisconsin’s division cross-over opponents having a combined 6-16 record, compared to the Gophers’ 19-3. In a game like this, though, the records feel quite arbitrary.
“Record doesn’t mean anything to us, especially in a rivalry like this. The best team on Saturday is gonna win the game, and whether that team has two wins or 12 wins, it doesn’t matter,” Ogunbowale said.
When it comes to combating Minnesota’s mediocre offense, the Badgers look to repeat their plan from last year’s 34-24 win. They limited then sophomore quarterback Mitch Leidner to 95 passing yards by blitzing early and often. With the further development of of key pass rushers like redshirt sophomore defensive end Chikwe Obasih, senior linebacker Joe Schobert and redshirt junior Vince Biegel, the Badgers will be in position to improve upon the one sack they accrued in last year’s game.
The more pass rushers defensive coordinator Dave Aranda brings, however, the easier it is for the opposition to capitalize on short passes and dump-offs, but senior safety Michael Caputo, the unquestioned defensive leader, knows how to balance the risk.
“In man-to-man we could definitely be more aggressive, we have to be because the ball’s gonna come out quick if we pass rush the quarterback so if we send X amount of guys to the QB, we gotta be more aggressive in pass coverage,” Caputo said.
The slightly above average Golden Gopher defense will likely attempt to get after the quarterback, which has been a critical component in Wisconsin’s two conference losses, especially last week when Northwestern sacked redshirt senior quarterback Joel Stave six times.
“I think our pocket was collapsing too much. If he has nowhere to step up, he’s not gonna make a good throw. Obviously a lot of it if he throws an interception gets put on him, but in reality, that’s on us,” senior lineman Tyler Marz said.
Wisconsin’s offense has been the key to their success this year, with the defense consistently dominating opponents every game. If the Badgers hope to retain the Axe, they will only need to put up about 20 points, certainly a possibility against a Minnesota team that allows 25.6 points per game, on average.
With this being the last regular season game, and last rivalry game for a group of seniors that has seen some of the most success in program history, the players are feeling a little bittersweet.
“With the clock winding down, it’s definitely sad, but I’m ready for the next step in life, whatever that is, hopefully it comes with success, but we’ve got some business to finish here, so I’m focused on that,” Marz said.
The Border Battle for the Axe will kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
