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University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Game Day Blog
11/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Gopher Game Day Blog - at Wisconsin
It's game day for Minnesota Golden Gopher Football. Follow along with us here on GopherSports.com as Minnesota travels to Madison, Wis. and tries to return Paul Bunyan's Axe to Minneapolis. We at GopherSports.com will attempt to give you some insight into the Border Battle, a bit of a running commentary and hopefully a look inside some of the things you might not get watching the game on television or listening on the radio.
As always, feel free to send a note with a question or comment on the blog, send them to aseeley@umn.edu.
6:12 p.m.
Weber is picked off on a fourth down conversion and that will do it. The Badgers are now in the victory formation and it looks like Wisconsin will keep the Axe for the fifth straight season. Minnesota will now have to wait until they face Wisconsin in TCF Bank Stadium for another opportunity to claim the Axe. Final score Wisconsin 35, Minnesota 32.
6:10 p.m.
And the Gopher defense rises. Minnesota forces a 3-and-out and will get the ball back with just 2:29 to go on their own 22-yard line. Hold on Gopher fans. It's not over yet. The final stats will show that the Gopher defense yielded 35 points today. However that hardly tells the story. Two of the Badger TDs came on drives of less than 10 yards (14 points). And then there were the two safties (4 more).
6:06 p.m.
Big day for Shady. Not only does the freshman snag his first touchdown pass, but he also cashes in on his first career 2-point conversion run. For the game, Salamon now has three catches for 40 yards to go with nine carriers for 29.
6:02 p.m.
A great, diving catch by Salamon in the corner of the end zone has the Gophers back on the board. It's Salamon's first career touchdown catch and as Minnesota lines up to go for 2 the Gophers are now within five points of the Badgers. Salamon blasts it in for the 2-point conversion and the Gophers are with in a field goal.
5:58 p.m.
Weber has the Gophers on the move. A 26-yard pass to Green on fourth and very long has Minnesota on the Wisconsin 30-yard line. A 21-yard completion to Jack Simmons has Minnesota on the 13 and looking to make it a one-score game with less than 5 minutes to go.
5:50 p.m.
Well it will take a mammoth effort by the Gophers now. Wisconsin recovered a mis-handled pitch by the Minnesota offense and two plays later waltzed into the end zone for a 35-24 lead. The Badgers have reeled off 28 points to the Gophers' 3 during the second half.
5:41 p.m.
The Gopher defense has held. The snow is coming down heavier now, as it has been falling through much of the second half. With 8:34 remaining in the game, Minnesota has first-and-10 at its own 11-yard line. It's gut-check time for the Minnesota offense.
5:35 p.m.
Another safety has given Wisconsin a 28-24 lead. Minnesota held after the free kick on the first safety, but Wisconsin's punt was fair caught by Marcus Sherels at the 7-yard line. From there, a pair of sacks by Mike Newkirk (the second one in the end zone) led to another two points for Wisconsin. 10:42 remaining in the game, first-and-10 Wisconsin at its own 48-yard line. The Minnesota defense needs a big stop or even a turnover.
5:25 p.m.
Things went from bad to worse on the kickoff for Minnesota. Freshman return man Troy Stoudermire got hit after fielding a bounding kick. The ball was fumbled and squirted all the way out the back of the end zone for a safety. Wisconsin now has its first lead since 7-0, 26-24, with 13:16 left in the game. Plus, Minnesota will have to boot a free kick from its own 20-yard line and give Wisconsin the ball right back.
5:21 p.m.
P.J. Hill just picked up his second 1-yard TD run and the extra-point has tied things up at 24-24 with 13:25 remaining in the game. Isaac Anderson, a Minnesota native, has hurt the Minnesota defense today. He has six receptions for 114 yards. Anderson's father, Mel Anderson played for the Gophers from 1983-86. His mother Lisa was a sprinter for the Gopher track and field team as well.
5:19 p.m.
Lots of action on Wisconsin's possession to open the fourth quarter. First, Willie VanDeSteeg sets a school record for career tackles for loss with a sack of UW QB Dustin Sherer. Then, Sherer completes a pass on the Minnesota sideline. Tramaine Brock was called for a late hit that was questionable, by the reaction of the Minnesota sideline. On the next play, Sherer found Isaac Anderson, who took it in for an apparent TD. But the call was overturned by replay. First-and-goal Wisconsin at the 1-yard line.
5:15 p.m.
This may be one of the coolest experiences ever. The Camp Randall "Jump Around" between the third and fourth quarters is amazing. It truly does rock the press box. Both sidelines got into as well, in a de facto jump-off. First-and-10 Badters at their own 37.
5:13 p.m.
The Gophers will go into the fourth quarter with the lead. The Gophers are 7-0 this season when leading after three quarters.
5:09 p.m.
Minnesota answers the Wisconsin touchdown drive with a score of its own. The Gophers reached the Badger 13-yard line before stalling out. However, Joel Monroe booted a 30-yard field goal. That was a big drive to take some of the momentum back from Wisconsin and to give the Gopher defense a bit of a break on the sideline. The Minnesota 'D' is playing without two starters right now ... Lee Campbell and Kyle There both went out early in the third quarter. With 1:37 remaining in the third ... Minnesota 24 - Wisconsin 17.
5:00 p.m.
Wisconsin has all the momentum here in the second half. The Badgers just drove 72 yards in 11 plays, capped by a P.J. Hill one-yard run. Most of the big plays in the drive were by Dustin Sherer, however. Sherer escaped Willie VanDeSteeg midway through the drive. VanDeSteeg broke through the line and grabbed the front of Sherer's jersey, but couldn't drag him down. After scrambling, Sherer completed a 31-yard pass to get the Badgers into scoring position. That was the key play on the Wisconsin scoring drive.
Now, it is going to be up to the Minnesota offense to try to get some momentum back for the Gophers. With 4:17 left in the third quarter ... Minnesota 21 - Wisconsin 17.
4:44 p.m.
Wisconsin took the ball to open the second half and marched into Minnesota territory. But on a third down play near the red zone, Deon Hightower sacked Badger QB Dustin Sherer. That forced Wisconsin to attempt a 47-yard field goal, which was made by Philip Welch. With 10:14 remaining in the third quarter, Minnesota 21 - Wisconsin 10.
4:33 p.m.
Michelle in the residence halls back in Minneapolis wrote in and asked a question. She said the campus is buzzing with the excitement of this game so far. Michelle wants to know if there will be a gathering to welcome the Axe back to Minnesota if the Gophers hold on and win. My answer is ... let's wait and see how the second half plays out. I don't want to jinx the guys. But Minnesota's flight is slated to land at 8:30 p.m. and the team should arrive at Gibson-Nagurski between 9 and 9:30 p.m.
Second half is under way.
4:22 p.m.
We'll be back with more after intermission. Stay tuned Gopher fans.
4:17 p.m.
Wow, what a half. Great rebound by the Gophers in the second quarter begining with some big-time quarterback play by Adam Weber. Weber is 7-for-9 passing for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He has also run for 21 yards, including a 6-yards TD. The true freshman receiving combo of Brandon Green and Brodrick Smith have also stepped up in Eric Decker's absence. Green has three receptions for 48 yards and a TD, while Smith has two grabs for 45 yards and a score.
4:14 p.m.
Interesting note on the Gophers' second quarater point explosion. Minnesota's 21 second quarter points are more than the Gophers have scored in any of their last three games. Brandon Green's touchdown grab that opened the flood gates snapped a seven-quarter TD drought for Minnesota that spanned over 107 minutes of game time. It is also the third time this season that Minnesota has scored 21 points in a quarter. The Gophers also did it at Bowling Green in the fourth and vs. Montana State in the second.
4:05 p.m.
Scary scene on the field right now, however. The Wisconsin medical staff continues to work on Jefferson after Lawrence delivered a big blow with his shoulder. An ambulance is on the field at the Wisconsin 30-yard line and Jefferson is being loaded onto a stretcher. It appers to be just a precaution as Jefferson just gave the crowd here at Camp Randall Stadium two thumbs up before being loaded into the ambulance. It has been a game of big hits on both sides of the ball and Lawrence's was just the lastest. Earlier, Gopher running back Shady Salamon took a big helmet-to-helmet hit from Wisconsin's Jay Valai.
4:03 p.m.
The Gopher defense continues to play opportunistic football. Minnesota has forced turnovers on each of the last two Badger drives, with Tramaine Brock stripping the ball away from PJ Hill and Simoni Lawrence crushing Kyle Jefferson. Kyle Theret pounced on both loose balls, giving the Gophers three takeaways for the game. Minnesota's defense has now forced an incredible 30 turnovers this season, more than double the Gophers forced last season (14).
3:44 p.m.
Adam Weber just underthrew Brandon Green on a sure touchdown pass. The pass was caught and taken to the 2-yard line by Green. Weber was very unhappy with himself. But he made up for it two plays later. Weber followed a lead block from running back Shady Salamon and went in from six yards out. Another Monroe PAT makes it 21-7 Minnesota with 8:17 remaining in the first half.
3:39 p.m.
The Gophers seem to have some momentum. A Willie VanDeSteeg sack led to a three-and-out. On the ensuing punt, Marcus Sherels returned it 31 yards to the Wisconsin 39-yard line. First-and-10 for the Gophers, leading 14-7 with 9:31 remaining in the first half.
3:33 p.m.
The Gophers have taken the lead. Adam Weber had all day to throw, found true freshman Brodrick Smith wide open near the 20-yard line and fired it to him. Smith turned around and saw nothing but green FieldTurf in front of him. It was Smith's first career touchdown reception on a 43-yard catch and run. With 11:14 left in the first half, Minnesota 14 - Wisconsin 7.
3:25 p.m.
Minnesota made Wisconsin pay for its turnover. On third-and-3 from the 4-yard line, Brandon Green pulled down his first career touchdown reception. It was a great catch with a Badger defender draped all over his back. Joel Monroe's point-after-touchdown ties the game at 7-7 with 13:30 remaining in the first half.
3:22 p.m.
The first big break of the game for Minnesota just happened. Wisconsin fumbled and it was recovered by Garrett Brown for the Badgers. A personal foul against Wisconsin gave Minnesota first-and-10 at the Badgers' 11-yard line. Both fumbles in this game have taken place at the south end of the field in about the same place.
3:18 p.m.
The first quarter has come to a close, with Wisconsin leading 7-0. For a second straight week, the Gopher offense has had trouble getting on track in the first quarter. Hopefully going with the breeze blowing through Camp Randall Stadium will help them get things going in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Wisconsin will have possession, with second-and-6 from their own 20-yard line when play resumes.
There hasn't been much offense in the first quarter. Wisconsin has three first downs, while Minnesota has one. The Badgers have 65 total yards and the Gophers total is 34.
3:12 p.m.
Minnesota dodged a bullet. Wisconsin drove inside the Minnesota red zone, but a poor snap and hold saw a field-goal attempt get kicked into the back of the line. Still 7-0 Wisconsin with 2:44 remaining in the first quarter.
2:54 p.m.
The Gophers went three-and-out on their first possession after the fumble. But the Minnesota defense held Wisconsin to a three-and-out inside the Badger 20-yard line. We're currently in an injury timeout. But following the upcoming Wisconsin punt, the Gophers could have good field position.
2:41 p.m.
Wisconsin goes for it on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line. Dustin Sherer found tight end Garrett Graham on the back line of the end zone on a roll-out, run-pass option. The Gopher defense had the run part covered, but someone let Graham get just enough space that Sherer could fire a quick strike to the back of the end zone for a touchdown.
It's the third straight week that Minnesota's opponent has scored early in the contest. The Gophers are 1-3 this season when the opponent scores first.
2:38 p.m.
Not the start that Minnesota wanted. On the second play from scrimmage, a fumble was recovered by Wicsonsin at the Minnesota 10-yard line.
2:35 p.m.
The captains have reached midfield. Wisconsin won the toss and deferred. Minnesota will receive and defend the south goal. Temperature is 36 degrees. A 10-mile-an-hour north wind is making it feel like 29 degrees on the field.
1:52 p.m.
We're less than 45 minutes away from the Border Battle Rivalry and the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe. It's surprising to me, but everywhere we go in Madison, people are asking if Eric Decker really is going to miss this game. I don't know what I can tell people that hasn't already been said by Coach Brewster as long ago as Tuesday at his press conference. Decker was on the field in street clothes during the pregame warmups. But yet, Badger fans seem to all think that it is gamesmanship or something and the Gophers' wide receiver is going to suit up and try to play.
Now, on to the more important stuff. I know my loyal readers out there want to know about the pregame spread in the press box and get the finger-lick rating. So, here goes ...
The pregame spread lived up to my expectations in one way. Coming to Wisconsin (the University that is) for the first time, I was hoping for a bratwurst. I was not disappointed. Included along with the brats were meatball sandwiches, which was a nice added touch. The only thing that could have made it better and more "Wisconsin" would have been fried cheese curds. But, oh well. There wasn't much to go along with the brats and meatball sandwiches, some fruit and some cookies. The Badgers get a 7 on the finger-lick scale for giving us good bratwursts alone.
Fans are starting to file into Camp Randall. This is my first experience at this stadium and I'm certainly looking forward to a couple of the unique elements of going to a game here. One of those is the "rocking" at Camp Randall. There are actually signs in the press box explaining how much the stadium rocks when the fans get particularly rowdy. The sign assures us of our safety, saying that the press box is really only moving about one-tenth of an inch, but that it feels like much more than that.
The Gophers are in all white today, like they have been on the road all season. More to come when we get closer to kickoff ...
-AS
