THE BASICS

The teams: The Wisconsin Badgers (2-3) vs the Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-3)

The time: 3 p.m. CDT, Saturday

The place: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wis.

The TV coverage: Big Ten Network with Mark Followill and Matt Millen in the studio, and Rick Pizzo on the sideline. .

The last time: Wisconsin ended Minnesota’s dream regular season last year on a sour note with a 38-17 win in Minneapolis to claim the Big Ten West title.

The series: Wisconsin leads 61–60-8

The line: Wisconsin -12.5

The Badgers injury report:

OUT

RB Jalen Berger

DOUBTFUL

WR Danny Davis
WR Kendric Pryor

THE BREAKDOWN: 5 THINGS TO WATCH

1) Offense?

Wisconsin hasn’t scored 10 or more points in three-straight games, the first time that’s happened since 1990. Will the Badgers be able to breakout out of that slump on Saturday? It won’t be easy as they’ll likely be missing wide receivers Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor again, while running back Jalen Berger won’t be available for a second-straight week.

The one positive is the defense Wisconsin faces on Saturday isn’t on the same level of the last three it has taken the field against. The Gophers are allowing 31.8 points per game and rank 13th in the Big Ten in yards allowed per game. If the Badgers can’t get anything done against this group, it will be an extreme disappointment.

2) More young guys

In what might be their last game of the season, the Badgers could decide to get more of their younger players involved, especially on offense. While true freshman Chimere Dike has started the last four games and has nine catches on the season, fellow true freshman Devin Chandler may have earned more time. He caught the first two passes of his career last week and both went for first downs.

Could this also be the week that running back Julius Davis sees his first action? With Berger sidelined, the redshirt freshman traveled for the first time with the team as it went to Iowa. But instead of him getting reps, running back coach John Settle turned to walk-on Brady Schipper as his third back. It’s worth noting that Wisconsin didn’t know Berger wouldn’t be able to play until Friday morning, so it’s possible they didn’t feel comfortable in getting Davis up to speed and involved on short notice. Perhaps with a full week of prep he could see the field.

3) Graham Mertz stepping up

Wisconsin is void of its best playmakers on offense and that has played a role in Graham Mertz’s underwhelming performance the last three games. But it can’t excuse everything, especially some of the missed throws when guys are open. One example? The fourth down throw behind a wide-open Jack Dunn last week against Iowa. Yes, there was pressure in his face, but if he’s accurate on the throw, Dunn walks in for a touchdown. The coaches schemed to get a guy open and Mertz was unable to convert. Those are chances you have to take advantage of when scoring has been such an uphill struggle.

4) Slowing Minnesota

The Gophers are without their top weapon in wide receiver Rashod Bateman, as he opted out of the season earlier this year and is preparing for the NFL Draft. But Minnesota still has the ability to put up points and it starts with running back Mohamed Ibrahim. The junior was named the Dayne-Ameche Running Back of the Year in the Big Ten after leading the conference in rushing (154.2 yards per game) and touchdowns (15). He’s rushed for at least 100 yards in every game this year, including a pair of 200-yard games.

But he’ll face the best rushing defense in the Big Ten on Saturday. The Badgers are giving up 83.2 yards per game on the ground. They did allow Iowa to gain 127 yards last week, but 80 of that came when the game was already out of reach. On Iowa’s other 31 carries it gained 47 yards.

With the way Wisconsin’s offense has struggled, the Badgers defense will have to play at an elite level to give them a chance for the win.

5) Paul Bunyan’s Axe

The importance of this game on a Big Ten level doesn’t come close to last year’s tilt when the winner grabbed the West Division championship and went to the title game. But you can be sure both sides are still very excited for the 130th meeting between the two rivals. The bragging rights that come with it are huge for the two schools and their fan bases.

The Badgers didn’t forget the visuals of Gophers coach P.J. Fleck flying into the visitors locker room with the Axe and jumping into his team’s arms after Minnesota snapped Wisconsin’s 14-game winning streak in 2018. It stayed with them and was motivation throughout that offseason.

You can be sure that Fleck will play up Wisconsin’s celebrations last year in Minneapolis, including the Badgers mocking the coach’s Row The Boat mantra by using the Axe as an oar and rowing the 50-yard line.

NUMBERS TO CONSIDER

Wisconsin hasn’t scored 10 or points in the last three games for the first time since 1990. The Badgers haven’t gone four games without scoring 10 or more points since going six straight in 1977.

Creating turnovers could be significant, especially with a struggling offense. The Badgers have forced seven turnovers this year and the offense has turned each into a score. That included their lone touchdown last week after an Iowa fumble on a punt return.

Wisconsin is ranked fourth in the Big Ten in third-down conversions at 40%. But in the last three games the Badgers are converting just 30% of their third-down opportunities, including a 4-for-18 effort against Iowa.

Since Barry Alvarez became Wisconsin’s coach in 1990 the Badgers have dominated the series with Minnesota. In his first season the Gophers led the series 54-37-8. UW is now up 61-60-8 heading into Saturday’s game.

ZONE PREDICTIONS

Zach Heilprin’s prediction: Minnesota 17, Wisconsin 9
Ebo’s prediction: Wisconsin 21, Minnesota 17
Nelson Raisbeck’s prediction: Minnesota 20, Wisconsin 17