Records and rankings can be thrown out the window every time Wisconsin and Minnesota meet on the gridiron. The battle for Paul Bunyan's axe is usually the biggest game of the year for both teams.
Minnesota's offense has been the key to their success this season, which makes for an interesting match up with Wisconsin's top-notch defense.
After a week off, the Badgers are looking to pick up where they left off against the Wildcats; here are five ways they can do so Saturday:
1) Stop Barber and Maroney: Minnesota has two of the best running backs in the conference to spearhead their potent rushing attack. Laurence Maroney already has over 1000 yards on the ground and Marion Barber is close to topping that mark as well.
Wisconsin's dominating front four should be back to full strength after healing up over the bye week. If Erasmus James and Co. can stop the run early on they can force quarterback Bryan Cupito to beat them through the air, which has proven to be a much easier task for other Big Ten teams.
2) Force the Gophers to play catch-up: Grabbing an early lead could end up being crucial to Wisconsin's success. Minnesota has struggled mightily once it has fallen behind teams. A few weeks ago Michigan State jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in its 52-17 win against Minnesota. In that game Minnesota was forced to abandon its run game and have Cupito try to lead a comeback through the air.
3) Control the tempo: The Badgers need to turn this game into their style of football, which is playing with a grind-it-out offense and a suffocating defense. Last year's 37-34 shootout loss at the dome may have been entertaining for fans, but it saw the Badgers fall way behind early and turn to the passing game.
John Stocco hasn't proven to be consistent enough to put up big points through the air so the burden falls on Anthony Davis to carry the load on offense. The last time these teams met in Madison, Davis ran for over 300 yards in the win. He will need another big day if the Badgers want to have any success on offense.
4) Exploit the Gophers' secondary in the clutch: Stocco has come up big when it mattered so far this year, and the Badgers are going to need some more big plays from him Saturday. The Gophers' pass defense has struggled this year, giving up 257.7 yards per game. If Stocco can prove himself capable of airing it when he needs to, Davis should find plenty of room to run free.
5) Come out sharp: The last thing the Badgers can afford to do is open up the game flat, because the Gophers are going to be ready for this one. Wisconsin hasn't played for two weeks so it needs to come out more focused than ever. The Badgers have struggled in the last couple of years after bye weeks; they need to be seen if this team can come out ready to play and end that losing streak
This is a huge game for both teams. If the UW defense can slow down Minnesota's rushing attack, and Davis and Stocco have big games, Wisconsin can keep its national title hopes alive and return the axe to its trophy case in Madison.
