With four consecutive home wins to open its season, the Wisconsin football team (4-0, 1-0) faces its first away game Saturday in The Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Ax against the Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1, 1-0). After last Saturday’s impressive 38-30 victory in the Big Ten opener against Michigan State, the Badgers will be the Gophers’ first Big Ten opponent in the new TCF Bank Stadium.

UW head coach Bret Bielema recognized the play of several individuals on defense and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week junior quarterback Scott Tolzien, for their outstanding play against the Spartans. Tolzien led the way on offense with the Badger’s first four touchdown game since John Stocco was quarterback, while defensive end O’Brien Schofield and safety Jay Valai helped limit what was thought to be a potent MSU offense.

“I really felt that Jay Valai and O’Brien Schofield, those two guys led the way for us and were very active in the whole game,” Bielema said. “And then on offense, not only did he garnish the MVP awards for us, but also the Big Ten Conference in Scott Tolzien, but I think Scotty would be the first one to give credit. I thought we had some great plays out there offensively, especially guys like Garrett Graham catching three touchdown passes and Nick Toon being able to come up with a nice catch in the red zone, as well as Isaac Anderson, a big play to kind of break open the third quarter.

The Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Ax

In Minnesota, UW will face a team that rediscovered its powerful running attack this past weekend, going for 166 yards and three rushing touchdowns in a 35-24 victory over Northwestern.

More than just stout conference competition, the Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry is the NCAA’s most-played and arguably one of the most storied. Entering this season, the two schools have competed every year since 1907 for a total of 118 games. While the Gophers hold the lead in the rivalry with a record of 59-51-8, the Badgers have won 12 of the last 14 contests, including last November’s 35-32 comeback win at Camp Randall.

To take home the ax again, Wisconsin will have to key in on Minnesota’s senior receiver/all-purpose weapon Eric Decker. The 6-foot-3-inch, 220-pound Decker has frequently been one of the Gophers’ most dangerous weapons. Against Northwestern, he caught eight passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns.

“First off, Eric is an extremely talented football player,” Bielema said. “What I see on film … they do a really good job of trying to find ways to get him the ball. I believe I heard that they try to script 10 plays that they have designed on cue that they can go to in any point during the course of each game that are designed specifically to get No. 7 the ball. They’re never necessarily the same plays in a row. if you watch them from game one to where we are today, he’s done everything from catching the ball to throwing the ball, to reversing the ball, to being a decoy — it’s just amazing how much they have in that offense for him and it’s paying off for them.”

Same rivalry, new venue

For almost three decades, Minnesota competed in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, a domed stadium that was among the most intimidating venues for opposing teams in college football. This year, however, with the opening of the beautiful new TCF Bank Stadium, the Battle for the Ax could have a different feel.

While the Metrodome’s capacity for Gopher games was approximately 64,000 people, TCF Bank only holds 50,805. Like the Metrodome, however, TCF Bank features a FieldTurf surface that usually allows for a more fast-paced game.

“We’re looking for an environment that I know is going to be hostile,” Bielema said of his expectations for this weekend’s atmosphere. “Since I’ve taken over [here], I’ve never had so many for requests for tickets … I think it’s something that’s going to be exciting for all of college football.”