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Barber, Maroney and Tapeh.
If Wisconsin fares as well as Minnesota’s other opponents, the Badgers will be reading these names on the backs of Minnesota’s ball carriers all afternoon.
The numbers are scary. On the season, the Golden Gophers (4-2 Big Ten, 8-2 overall) have averaged 41 points and almost 500 yards of total offense per game. With the fourth-highest scoring offense in the nation and the best in the Big Ten, Glen Mason’s squad has already set five Minnesota offensive records and is on pace for more.
But that’s all led by Minnesota’s three-headed ground machine, which has already rushed for 3,007 yards, a staggering average of over 300 per game.
Sophomore Marion Barber III, senior Thomas Tapeh and freshman Laurence Maroney, the smallest of the three, all can dominate. Barber leads the trio with 995 yards and 16 touchdowns.
So, Wiscon’s focus Saturday will be no surprise.
“The first thing that we’re going to try to do is stop their rushing offense,” junior defensive tackle Anttaj Hawthorne said. “Our plan is to stop them in the run and get great pressure on their quarterback.”
That quarterback is the talented Asad Abdul-Khaliq. In previous years, he was primarily a runner used in the option. Now a senior, he’s improved his throwing ability dramatically, with 1,775 yards and 17 touchdowns through the air on the season. His 176.2 passer rating is tops in the Big Ten by far.
“He’s throwing the ball as good as anybody we’ve played, I guarantee you that,” UW defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. “He has a strong arm, he has very good targets to throw to and he just has a great understanding of what they’re trying to do offensively. He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now.”
Of course, Abdul-Khaliq still loves to run. His 296 rushing yards have forced linebackers to come up on him, opening up passing lanes to his receiving targets.
Those primary targets have been sophomore Jared Ellerson and senior Aaron Hosack, who’ve combined for 1,212 yards and 13 touchdowns.
But the man who may be most pivotal in Minnesota’s explosive offense is senior tight end Ben Uttecht, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound mountain with whom the Badgers are very familiar. He has caught 17 balls for 265 yards and two touchdowns on the year, and his superb blocking gives the Gophers an extra offensive dimension that’s almost impossible to defend.
“He’s a good blocker, and he’s part of their running offense, throwing down blocks,” Hawthorne said. “Also, when they get backed up, they can throw the ball to him. So he’s doing a pretty good job for them this year.”
All these talented players mean one major thing for Minnesota’s offense: versatility. With a wide variety of personnel, they can show many offensive looks, be it the spread, the option or a two-back power formation.
“They’re not just going to stay in a two-back formation or a two-tight-end formation,” Cosgrove said. “They have the ability to spread you out anytime, too. They have enough weapons to do that, and they have a quarterback who has the ability to run with the football if there’s nothing open. They do a lot of different things formation-wise to try to keep you off-balance. We have to do a good job of executing what we’re doing.”
Perhaps as daunting a challenge as Minnesota’s offense is the Badgers’ lack of depth on defense.
The earlier-season losses of defensive end Erasmus James and defensive backs Joe Stellmacher and Brett Bell to injury will only be compounded by the Metrodome’s speedy turf. Tired Badgers will likely be shuttled in and out often, especially if the Gophers continue to show a variety of offensive formations.
Fortunately, the Badgers are coming off a bye week. So they’ve had extra time to get healthy and prepare for a high-flying Minnesota offense that’s described quite simply in one sentence by Cosgrove.
“This offense presents a tremendous challenge,” he said.
