It seems like every time the Wisconsin Badgers play the Minnesota Golden Gophers as of late, the game has big implications. It’s no different this upcoming Saturday when the Badgers travel to play the Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium.
With a win, the Badgers will retain the Paul Bunyan Axe, which the two teams have played for since 1948, plus a victory will give the Badgers the Big Ten West title.
And in case you didn’t know, this rivalry has been going on since 1890, which is the longest, uninterrupted rivalry in FBS Division I college football. After not ever having led in the series until 2017, the Badgers now have a 62-60-8 series lead over the Gophers. It helps that the Badgers have won 23 of the past 26 games between the two teams since 1995. The Badgers actually won 14 games in a row at one point, which was from 2004 to 2017.
In terms of winning the Axe against the Gophers, the Badgers now lead that series by a 45-25-3 margin. Winning the Axe is always important, but getting a chance to play for the Big Ten title is even more crucial. A win on Saturday will put the Badgers in position to do just that versus Ohio State or Michigan in the Big Ten title game.
The main reasons why have been the very good defense of the Badgers under Jim Leonhard and a much-improved running game, thanks to better offensive line play and the emergence of freshman running back Braelon Allen. Head coach Paul Chryst and his staff have done a great job of keeping the players focused on the big picture overall this season.
I have only been able to attend one Wisconsin-Minnesota game myself between the two teams, which was in 2010, when the Badgers beat the Gophers 41-23 at Camp Randall. Seeing the players from the Badgers celebrate with the Axe was awesome. It was also a bit melancholy because my good buddy Kevin Cosgrove was the defensive coordinator of the Gophers that day.
As most of you in Badger Nation know, Cos was on the staff of Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin longer than any other coach and was the defensive coordinator of the Badgers when the team won back-to-back Big Ten titles and Rose Bowls.
But on Saturday, the real focus will be on taking care of business and advancing to the Big Ten title game on December 4th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The defense has to play well for that to happen. Against Nebraska last week, the defense did not play particularly great, but came up big when it counted. This week versus the Gophers in a hostile environment, the defense has to play better.
Currently, the Badgers are ranked second in the FBS in total defense, only behind Georgia. The Badgers are also ranked No. 1 in the FBS in rushing defense, which is one of the strengths of Minnesota, who are ranked 23rd in the FBS in rushing.
Speaking of toting the rock, the Badgers are now ranked No. 9 in the FBS in rushing offense. Allen has rushed for over 100 yards in seven straight games now and now has rushed for 1,062 yards and has scored 11 rushing touchdowns.
It won’t be easy for Allen, as the Gophers are tied for 12th in the FBS with Iowa in rushing defense. That being said, the Badgers rushed for 166 yards in their 27-7 victory over the Hawkeyes, which included 104 yards from Allen.
Bottom line, once again the Badgers and Gophers will be facing each other in another big game. Wisconsin knows that a victory will allow them to keep the Axe, plus get the Badgers another opportunity to play in their fourth Big Ten title game in six years. Not to mention, a chance to pad their 131-year series lead against the Gophers to three games.
When the Wisconsin Badgers walked off the field at Camp Randall Stadium on October 2nd after losing to the Michigan Wolverines 38-17, the players and coaches looked like dead men walking. I mean, the Badger were staring at a 1-3 record after that loss, as well as being 0-2 in the Big Ten.
And in their three losses to Penn State, Notre Dame and Michigan, the Badgers were outscored by a 95 to 40 margin.
But like Lazarus and a coaching staff that keeps prodding them on, the Badgers have have risen from the dead, as Wisconsin has won six straight games and are in position to win the Big Ten West. Two of those six wins came against ranked opponents like Purdue, who the Badgers beat 30-13 and Iowa, who the Badgers beat 27-7. The icing on the cake is that both Purdue and Iowa are also in the Big Ten West.
In the six straight games Wisconsin have won versus Illinois, Army, Purdue, Iowa, Rutgers and Northwestern, the Badgers have outscored their opponents by a 188 to 44 margin. The Badgers now are tied with Iowa with a 5-2 record in the Big Ten West and they hold the tiebreaker over the Hawkeyes.
With wins against 1-6 Nebraska at Camp Randall Stadium this upcoming Saturday and then the following Saturday versus 4-3 Minnesota at Huntington Bank Stadium, head coach Paul Chryst and his Badgers will be playing in the Big Ten Championship Game, which will be their fourth appearance in that game in six years.
Thanks to the great success the Badgers have had over the past six games, putting the Badgers overall record at 7-3, the team is now in the top 20 in the three big FBS polls. Wisconsin is ranked 15th in the Playoff Rankings, 19th in the AP Top 25 and 20th in the Coaches Poll.
So, why has Wisconsin been able rise from the abyss in 2021?
For the most part, it’s been a dominating defense. Plus, the running game has been clicking and the time of possession has been good as well.
Once again, Jim Leonhard has his defensive unit playing very, very well. The Badgers are ranked No. 1 in the FBS in total defense, rushing defense and 3rd down conversion defense. In addition to that, Wisconsin is ranked No.2 in scoring defense. Only Georgia, the No. 1 ranked team in all the polls, tops Wisconsin in that category. The Badgers are also tied for 8th in team tackles for a loss.
The Badgers are led by their outstanding linebacker unit. Inside linebacker Leo Chenal has 81 total tackles, which includes 15 tackles for a loss. Chenal also has 6.5 sacks and has forced two fumbles. The other inside linebacker, Jack Sanborn, has 74 total tackles, which includes 13 tackles for a loss. Sanborn also has three sacks and a fumble recovery.
The outside linebackers are also vey good, as both Nick Herbig and Noah Burks have played exceptional. Herbig has 42 total tackles, which includes 11 tackles for a loss, plus has seven sacks, a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. Burks has 32 total tackles, which includes 7.5 tackles for a loss. Burks also has 3.5 sacks, plus has an interception and a fumble recovery.
Running backBraelon Allen(No. 0)
On offense, the Badgers have been led by freshman running back Braelon Allen, who has rushed for over 100 yards in six straight games. Overall, Allen has rushed for 842 yards (7.1 average) and nine touchdowns. The Badgers are now ranked 12th overall in rushing offense in the FBS, after a very slow start this season. Wisconsin is also ranked No. 7 in the FBS in time of possession, thanks to their improved running game.
Quarterback Graham Mertz has played much better in the past six games after a rough start to the 2021 season, when Mertz threw two touchdown passes compared to six picks in the first four games. In the past six games, Mertz has thrown six touchdown passes versus three interceptions. Those six touchdown passes have all come in the past three games.
Mertz utilizes four receivers for the most part when he goes back to pass. They are tight end Jake Ferguson (31 receptions for 298 yards and two scores), wide receiver Danny Davis III (27 receptions for 418 yards and two scores), wide receiver Kendric Pryor (24 receptions for 328 yards and two scores) and wide receiver Chimere Dike (17 receptions for 225 yards and one score).
Bottom line, the Badgers have risen from the ashes and have their destiny in front of them. At the very least, with two more wins in the regular season, which would mean the Big Ten West title, the Badgers would most likely be looking at a January 1st bowl game in Florida, either at the Outback Bowl in Tampa or the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
And if the Badgers upset whoever they play in the Big Ten title game, they would be looking at a selection committee bowl game, which could be the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl or the Peach Bowl.
That was hard to fathom back on October 2nd after the tough loss to Michigan, which put the Badgers at 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten. But like Lazarus, the Badgers have risen from the dead and now have their future in their own hands.
I grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 1960s. My love of sports, especially football and baseball, came from my dad, who would educate me about the history of teams like the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Braves and the Wisconsin Badgers. In terms of being a fan of the Packers, the decade of the ’60s was incredible.
The Packers under head coach Vince Lombardi would win five NFL championships in seven years, which included victories in the first two Super Bowl games. Plus, the Packers also won three straight NFL titles from 1965 through 1967 and that feat has never been duplicated since the NFL went to a playoff format in 1933.
My favorite player on the Packers was quarterback Bart Starr. He, along with Hank Aaron of the Braves, were definitely on the top of my pedestal in terms of looking up to professional athletes. I loved all the Packers on offense, which included halfback Paul Hornung, fullback Jim Taylor, flanker Boyd Dowler and end Max McGee. Dad told me that the success that those four great players had stemmed from the exceptional offensive line play that the Packers had during that period.
Dad told me games were won in the trenches and to watch players like right tackle Forrest Gregg, right guard Jerry Kramer, center Jim Ringo, left guard Fuzzy Thurston and left tackle Bob Skoronski. Never was that more clear than during the 1967 NFL championship game, better known as the “Ice Bowl” game. The weather on that day would have been nice for a polar bear to take a stroll, but was not exactly a great environment for football.
One never knows what will happen in the region where the Fox River connects to the bay off Lake Michigan late in the year. And on December 31, 1967, the region was given the coldest and most frigid day since they first started documenting weather conditions in Green Bay.
For the NFL title game between the Dallas Cowboys and Packers, it was shocking to find out that the game-time temperature was -13°. If you add in the wind throughout the game, the temperature plummeted to -50°.
The game came down to one big play with 16 seconds to go, after halfback Donny Anderson failed to score on two running attempts.
After conferring with Lombardi on the sideline after the final timeout of the Packers, Starr called a 31-wedge play in the huddle, which calls for the fullback to get the ball. However, unknown to anyone in the huddle, except for Kramer, Starr decided to keep the ball himself due to the slippery conditions near the goal line.
That wedge play was called earlier in the week when the team was studying the defensive tendencies of the Cowboys. Kramer actually suggested the play to Lombardi.
“Jethro [Pugh] was high, and I actually suggested that play on Thursday when we were studying short-yardage films,” Kramer said. “I said we could wedge Pugh if we had to. And Coach Lombardi said, ‘What?’ And I said that we can wedge Pugh if we have to. So we ran the film back three or four times, and coach says, ‘That’s right. Put in a wedge on Pugh.’
So after Starr called the play with just seconds to go in the game, what was going through Kramer’s mind?
“Responsibility. I mean I had suggested the play on Thursday. It seemed like the play was squarely on my shoulders,” Kramer said. “I knew I had to perform. I knew that to be successful as a blocker that I had to keep my head up and my eyes open.
“And also put my face into the chest of the defensive tackle [Pugh]. That is not the easiest thing to do, but it’s the safest and the surest way to make a block. I felt great personal responsibility to the team on that block. When I came off the ball, I was on fire.”
That great period by the Packers in the 1960s always brings back fantastic memories for me. That was fortified by the book that Kramer and the late, great Dick Schaap put out called, Instant Replay in 1968. Talk about a literary masterpiece. I still read that book every year come training camp time. Speaking of Schaap, his son Jeremy adds his voice to the film. Jeremy is in fact, named after Jerry, plus Jerry is the godfather of Jeremy because of his close friendship with Dick.
Little did I know that I would one day become friends with Kramer. Talk about feeling like a kid in a candy store. Plus, like Schaap did four times, I’m currently working on a book with Jerry.
Like myself, Glenn Aveni also grew up in Milwaukee. And like me, on the northwest side of Cream City. Glenn was also a huge fan of the Packers and he too was able to become friends with Kramer.
That all led to the collaboration of the film You Can If You Will: The Jerry Kramer Story, which was released earlier this year. The documentary was directed by the award-winning Aveni, who also brought me on board to be a supervising producer for the film.
Talk about a great partnership. I can see why Glenn has such a decorated career in the film industry. Speaking of partnerships, the Green Bay Packers have also partnered with us, as they are selling the DVD/Blu-Ray of the film at the Packers Pro Shop, plus streamed the documentary earlier this year.
In addition, the film premiered at the Marcus Bay Port Cinema on October 2nd, which is near Lambeau Field. There, folks got to see the full-length version of the film, which is 87 minutes long. Previous to that, the movie had been shown on the Packers television network on stations throughout Wisconsin, but that version was less than one hour.
Which leads us to the Milwaukee premiere of You Can If You Will: The Jerry Kramer Story on November 13th (3:00 pm and 8:00 pm) at the Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall, which is in the Marcus Performing Arts Center.
The film includes appearances by Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Bart Starr Jr., the late great Paul Hornung, Boyd Dowler, Dave Robinson, Donny Anderson, Carroll Dale, Jim Grabowski, Chuck Mercein, Don Horn and Gilbert Brown. Plus, Pro Football Hall of Famer James Lofton adds some commentary, as do other folks who have busts in Canton, like Ron Wolf, Franco Harris, Tom Mack, Joe Delamielleure, “Mean” Joe Green, Bill Polian and Robert Brazile.
The president of the Packers, Mark Murphy is also in the film, as are Jerry’s children…Tony, Diana, Dan, Alicia and Matt, who speak of their admiration for their father. Jerry’s sister Carol also shares some nice memories about their childhood.
Bottom line, it’s amazing that two guys who grew up on the northwest side of Milwaukee in the 1960s during the heyday of the Packers under Coach Lombardi, were somehow put in position to make this epic film about about not only one of the greatest offensive guards in NFL history, but also one of the finest human beings both Glenn and I have ever met.
Yes, I’m talking about Gerald Louis Kramer. Please join us on Saturday to see a film about Jerry’s life that will truly inspire you!
For the second time in three years, the matchup between two of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL won’t happen. In 2019, when the Packers played the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes couldn’t face-off against Aaron Rodgers because of a knee injury. This upcoming Sunday in another contest between the 7-1 Packers and the 4-4 Chiefs in Kansas City, Rodgers won’t play due to testing positive to COVID-19, while Mahomes will play.
That means that second-year quarterback Jordan Love will get the start for the Packers versus Mahomes and the Chiefs. While Love needs to play well for the Packers to win, he doesn’t have to carry all the weight on his shoulders because of the running game that the Packers have and the improvement of the defense in recent weeks.
For the Packers to win on Sunday, those two factors have to come up big for the Packers to come out of KC with a victory.
Case in point, when the Packers beat the undefeated Arizona Cardinals last week, both the running game and the defense played large roles in the win.
In terms of running the rock against the Cardinals, Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon combined to run for 137 yards and a score. This week that tandem will be going up against a Kansas City defense which gives up 121.8 yard per game on the ground. If the Packers have the same type of success against the Chiefs like they did against the Cardinals, that will also open up the play-action pass attempts for Love to take advantage of in terms of favorable matchups.
Jones has rushed for 463 yards and three scores, while Dillon has rushed for 309 yards. Both are averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Plus, both are capable receivers, especially Jones, who has 33 receptions, compared to 10 catches for Dillon.
In terms of the defense, the team has improved quite a bit recently, as the Packers are tied for first in the NFC with 14 takeaways. The Packers have picked off nine passes and have recovered five fumbles. Last week against quarterback Kyler Murray, the Packers picked off Murray twice, including the game-winning interception by Rasul Douglas.
This is not to say the defense will not be tested on Sunday with Mahomes and his potent Kansas City offense. The two big receiving threats for the Chiefs are tight end Travis Kelce, who is the top tight end in the NFL and the speedy Tyreek Hill. Kelce has 49 receptions and has four touchdown catches, while Hill has 64 receptions and has six touchdown receptions. It will be a tough task for the Packers D to cover those two weapons for Mahomes.
Inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell will play a large role in this game, both in stopping the run and in covering Kelce at times. Campbell leads the Packers with 75 total tackles, plus has two picks.
The good news for the Packers is that Mahomes has come back to earth this year in terms of showing some warts in terms of his quarterback play. The former Texas Tech star has been sacked 16 times and has thrown 10 interceptions through eight games. The Packers need to rush Mahomes the same way they pressured Murray last week.
The Packers have 20 sacks this season, plus have had multiple pressures on the opposing quarterback. For instance, last week against the Cardinals, Murray was sacked only twice, but was pressured 17 times. The result? Two picks and zero touchdown passes for Murray.
If the Packers follow a similar game plan versus Kansas City like they implemented against Arizona last week when they upset the undefeated Cardinals, the team has a decent chance to upset the Chiefs, even with Love making his first NFL start.
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