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University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Fall Short in 31-28 Loss to Badgers
10/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
In a fourth quarter filled with big plays until the final minute, Minnesota fell short in a 31-28 setback to Wisconsin on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.
The Gophers trailed by 10 points with less than three minutes left, but drove the field and scored a touchdown with 2:13 remaining and then got the ball back 30 seconds later before the Badgers forced a game-ending fumble.
It marked Wisconsin's sixth straight win in the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe as the Badgers improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten. Minnesota dropped to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the league. The Gophers still hold a 59-52-8 lead in the longest rivalry in all of NCAA football.
Wisconsin running back John Clay had a big day for the Badgers with 32 carries for 184 yards and three touchdowns. Clay led a devastating Wisconsin ground game in the second half with 149 of his yards after halftime. The Badgers totaled 232 of their 295 rushing yards in the second half, while Minnesota was held to 57 yards rushing, including minus-24 yards in the second half as Wisconsin registered five quarterback sacks.
It was another big day for Gophers' senior receiver Eric Decker, as well. Decker caught eight passes for 140 yards and his spectacular diving catch on a fourth-and-16 play on the Gophers' final drive gave him exactly 3,000 yards for his career, surpassing Ron Johnson's Minnesota career record total of 2,989.
Trailing 24-13 in the fourth quarter, and with Wisconsin driving, Minnesota's biggest play of the game was an 88-yard fumble return by Marcus Sherels with 6:50 remaining. However, Wisconsin drove 74 yards on its next drive and Clay's third touchdown of the day put Wisconsin ahead, 31-21.
The Gophers then took three plays and scored on a one-yard run by Duane Bennett to pull within a field goal. Adam Weber, who finished the day 16-for-30 for 271 yards passing, connected with Decker for 40 yards and Nick Tow-Arnett for 38 yards to the two-yard line. Weber was intercepted by Wisconsin's Mike Taylor on the next play, but the Badgers were called for too many men on the field and gave Minnesota another chance.
The Gophers were unsuccessful in an onside kick attempt, but stopped Wisconsin in three plays to get the ball back with 1:43 remaining. Weber hit Troy Stoudermire for a 17-yard gain on third down and then his 18-yard connection to Decker on fourth down to get the Gophers out to their own 34-yard line with 40 seconds left. However, Wisconsin recorded its third sack of the drive when O'Brien Schofield forced a fumble by Weber that Chris Borland recovered to end the Gophers' comeback hopes. It was Minnesota's third turnover as each team had three turnovers and several key penalties.
Wisconsin outgained Minnesota 454-328 for the game, as Badgers' quarterback Scott Tolzien was 16-for-26 passing for 159 yards. Garrett Graham led Wisconsin's receivers with seven catches for 68 yards. DeLeon Eskridge led Minnesota in rushing with 14 carries for 60 yards.
Wisconsin turned Minnesota's first miscue of the day into points, as Clay finished a nine-play, 59-yard drive with the first of his two touchdowns from two yards out. The Gophers had a long kickoff return to open the game by Stoudermire, but Bennett fumbled after a 19-yard gain.
The Gophers answered with 10 straight points, getting a 28-yard field goal from Eric Ellestad with 2:54 left in the first quarter and then a seven-yard touchdown pass from Weber to Decker just over two minutes later. The field goal capped a 12-play, 56-yard drive and was set up by a 25-yard pass play to Hayo Carpenter on a third down and 18 from the Gophers' own 25. Nate Triplett intercepted Wisconsin's first pass on the Badgers' ensuing possession and returned it 25 yards to the 11-yard line, and Decker caught his touchdown two plays later.
Wisconsin opened the second quarter with a 13-play drive that ended with a 39-yard field goal from Philip Welch, tying the game, 10-10, with 11:27 left in the first half.
After the teams exchanged possessions, Minnesota had a prime opportunity to convert a long drive into a touchdown, as Weber hit Decker for a 15-yard pass to the Badgers' one-yard line. However, the Gophers were called for a 15-yard chop block penalty on first down and settled for a 20-yard field goal from Ellestad to take a 13-10 lead that stood through halftime.
The teams swapped turnovers to start the second half, as Tolzien had the ball knocked away from behind by Garrett Brown after an 11-yard rush at midfield. The Gophers drove deep into Wisconsin territory and reached the two-yard line on a 16-yard run by Eskridge. However, another key penalty thwarted the drive when a holding penalty brought the play back to the Badgers' 28-yard line. Weber was then intercepted by Wisconsin defensive lineman Patrick Butrym on the next play at the 30-yard line.
Clay went to work on the Badgers' next drive with rushes on six of their nine plays, finishing with a 1-yard touchdown plunge that put Wisconsin ahead, 17-13, with 4:33 left in the third quarter. Clay gained 53 yards on the drive, though the big play was an 18-yard screen pass from Tolzien to Graham on a third-and-11 from the Gophers' 41-yard line.
Minnesota went three-and-out on its next possession, and Wisconsin converted with another lengthy drive that ended with a five-yard touchdown pass from Tolzien to Lance Kendricks, who tiptoed the back line of the end zone with 11:51 remaining. The play was reviewed, but confirmed by replay. Clay had 67 yards on the drive, as Wisconsin drove 85 yards in 13 plays.
After stopping Minnesota on three plays, Wisconsin looked to be putting the game away, driving to the Gophers' 20-yard line before Sherels' fumble return. Eric Small stripped the ball from Badgers' running back Zach Brown and Sherels scooped up the loose ball and raced down the Gophers' sideline for the score. Da'Jon McKnight caught a two-point conversion from Weber to pull the Gophers within three at that point.
Minnesota finished with nine penalties for 75 yards and Wisconsin was eight-for-13 on third-down conversions.
The Gophers return to TCF Bank Stadium next weekend for Homecoming, when they play host to Purdue at 11 a.m.
