Not to be overshadowed by the war for Paul Bunyan’s Axe this Saturday will be the battle fought in the trenches between the Minnesota offensive line and the gritty Badger defense.
Although the Badgers are coming off a bye week following two straight losses to Purdue and Northwestern, and the Gophers beat the Indiana Hoosiers last week 55-7, all records can be thrown aside when these two teams go at it.
The real test of character in this game will likely come from the team’s respective running backs. The key for Minnesota is sophomore Marion Barber III, who rushed for 107 yards and one touchdown a week ago.
Barber, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back from Plymouth, Minn., is 13th in the nation in rushing with 995 yards. He also leads the nation in rushing touchdowns with 16, four of them occurring Sept. 16 against Ohio University.
During his freshman year in 2001, Barber was named a third-team freshman All-American by The Sporting News. He also earned the Bobby Bell Award as the team’s outstanding special-teams player. That year, Barber ran for 742 yards and seven touchdowns.
Before the 2002 season, Barber was an All-Big Ten first-team selection by The Sporting News and Athlon magazines. Due to a hamstring injury, however, his sophomore season was cut short and he was redshirted.
This season, Barber has achieved a great amount of success as the Gophers’ feature back, breaking the Gophers’ single-season rushing touchdown record with 16. He broke Darrell Thompson’s 1987 record and Jim Perkins’ 1976 record of 13 touchdowns in a season and is on his way toward a 20-score campaign. He also passed by his father, who in 1979 scored 12 touchdowns during a record-setting season. Barber has followed his father’s footsteps throughout his career and after this season will likely become a viable selection in the NFL, the place where his father’s career eventually ended.
This season, Barber has seven 100-yard rushing games. His best game came against the Michigan Wolverines when he rushed for 197 yards and one touchdown. In that game, he also caught four passes for 46 yards. The effort by Barber did not ultimately lead to a Minnesota victory, though, as the Gophers lost to the Wolverines, 38-35.
Prior to this season, Lindy’s magazine predicted that Barber would be one of the top running backs in the NCAA, but no one expected the kind of success he is having. With Barber’s return, the Gophers’ running back corps has solidified itself as one of the best in the nation. The Gophers’ group of backs includes Barber, junior Terry Jackson and senior Thomas Tapeh.
With the Paul Bunyan Axe up for grabs in the 113th meeting between the Badgers and Gophers, Barber and his teammates understand the importance of this heralded rivalry.
Last season, the Badgers defeated the Gophers, 49-31, at Camp Randall Stadium, regaining the axe. Barber can use that game to see the impact of what a huge running day can have on its outcome. While Wisconsin running back Anthony Davis ran for 301 yards and five touchdowns, Barber managed just 10 yards on four carries. Although he scored a touchdown, the performance was by no means an example of what Barber is capable of.
After a win against the Hoosiers last Saturday, Minnesota head coach Glen Mason is confident in Barber leading the way in the Gopher running game.
“Right now, I would say we are a great running football team … The only thing we’ve been missing is that we haven’t been getting as many big runs as I would like.”
Barber will be counted on to break big runs against the Badgers if the Gophers are to emerge with a victory. With Wisconsin’s defense allowing 113 rushing yards per game, Barber will likely have some opportunities to make a huge impact in the game.
Having allowed Purdue to rush for a mere 66 yards three weeks ago before allowing Northwestern to gain 245 yards a week later, the UW defense may not be able to stop Barber if it fails to show up.
