The Wisconsin Badgers battle the Minnesota Golden Gophers Saturday for Paul Bunyan’s Ax. This game was re-scheduled after the previous meeting for November 28 after Minnesota experienced a COVID 19 outbreak. The Badgers are 12.5 point favorites. Kick off is at 3 PM CST on the Big Ten Network. Below are the keys to a Badger victory:
Contain Mohamed Ibrahim
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In the off-season, you would have expected this to be Tanner Morgan and Rashod Bateman. Bateman has opted to declare for the NFL draft and Morgan hasn’t been the same quarterback since his breakout sophomore season last year. The best player on the Golden Gophers team has been junior running back Mohamed Ibrahim.
Ibrahim leads Minnesota with 175 carries for 925 yards and 15 touchdowns. Tanner Morgan has only thrown 5 touchdowns all year. Ibrahim has been the bell cow this year and Minnesota isn’t afraid to show it. I expect Ibrahim to get a ton of carries in this game, especially since Morgan doesn’t have Bateman as a security blanket. The Wisconsin defense will need to be ready for a battle in the trenches.
Find A Way To Move The Ball
We know how tough it’s been to watch the Wisconsin offense move the ball since the Michigan game. Wisconisn in their last three games have scored 7, 6, and 7 points. While it’s brutal offensive numbers, Northwestern, Indiana, and Iowa have great defenses.
Wisconisn will need to find away to move the ball Saturday. Early reports show Jalen Berger will most likely not be available. Senior wide receivers Danny Davis III and Kendric Pryor are leaning towards being out this game as well. Graham Mertz will need to play better this week and get help from his remaining supporting cast as well.
The Badgers can move the ball against Minnesota. Minnesota’s defense is giving up 431 yards a game; 219 through the air and 212 on the ground on average. This defense is nowhere near Northwestern, Indiana, or Iowa’s defense. This could be a get right game for the Badger offense.
Finish Strong
It’s obvious this is not the year Badger fans were hoping. We were hoping for a potential undefeated regular season, a shot for the Big Ten Championship, and potentially consideration for the College Football Playoff. Injuries and COVID 19 have clearly played a role on this team.
However, this team is showing a ton of promise. The Badgers have their quarterback and running back of the future, great potential on the offensive line, and underclassmen on the defense showing promise. Having this game experience without losing a year of eligibility is going to help this team in so many ways. It’s possible the Badgers play in a bowl game as well. The future is really bright for this Badger team.
This is also the Badgers arch rival and a chance to retain Paul Bunyan’s Ax. Bragging rights over your rival would be a step in the right direction.
Prediction
Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan hasn’t been himself this year and really struggled against the Badgers last year. However, Morgan has the capability to play well and make this a game. There is no doubt Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck will bring his team into Madison fired up and ready to bring the ax back to Minneapolis.
The Wisconsin offense is looking for an identity as of late. They are struggling to throw the ball consistently. Without Berger and potentially Davis and Pryor, it could be a long afternoon.
However, this is the ax game. A chance for bragging rights over your arch rival for the next year. This game will come down to the running game of Minnesota and the arm of Graham Mertz. I trust this Badger defense. They are one of the best in the country and back it up every single week. I see an opportunity for the offense to score some points as well. Ultimately, the Badgers beat Minnesota and keep the ax in Madison.
Wisconsin 20 Minnesota 14
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