[media-credit name=’BRYAN FAUST/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]Halfway through the 2006 season, the Badgers have played three home games, and Joe Stellmacher said he still hasn't been impressed enough with Camp Randall's crowd noise.

"It's one of the louder stadiums in the Big Ten. This year, we haven't even heard Camp Randall at its loudest," Stellmacher said. "We haven't heard it quite that loud yet, but hopefully this week we'll get to hear it."

There's no reason why Stellmacher's wish won't be granted. After all, it's the Badgers' first game with a number attached to its name (Wisconsin entered the AP Top 25 at the No. 25 position Monday). Saturday's game caps the University of Wisconsin's annual Homecoming week, which always brings an added level of intensity to Camp Randall.

Not to mention it's also the yearly Border Battle matchup with Wisconsin's rival school, Minnesota, coming to Madison seeking the Axe once again.

In the longest-running rivalry in college football — the Badgers (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) and Golden Gophers (2-4, 0-3) will face off for the 116th time in their history — both teams will play once more for Paul Bunyan's Axe, which the Badgers have hung on to for the past two years.

As quarterback of a team that refuses to be distracted by just about anything, John Stocco uncharacteristically showed just how much this rivalry — led currently by the Golden Gophers 59-48-8 after 115 games — means not just to the fans and media, but also to the players as he discussed the pure significance of the Axe.

"It does mean something to us, it's the longest running rivalry in college football; it's something that's special to be a part of," said Stocco, a native of Richfield, Minn., and a player very conscious of the Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry. "They show us the clips of games in the past that we've won, [clips] of guys carrying the Axe around the field.

"That's the fastest those guys have ever run before, so it's something that guys do think about," Stocco joked.

Sophomore Jonathan Casillas is making a name for himself in his first year as a starting linebacker and was made famous with Badger fans after his blocked punt in last year's Wisconsin-Minnesota game led to the Wisconsin's bizarre comeback win by a score of 38-34 at the Metrodome. Casillas' effort ensured the Badgers would keep possession of the Axe for the second straight year, despite trailing 34-24 with under two minutes to play.

"It's a rivalry game, right across the Mississippi; it's going to be a high-energy game from the first kickoff to the last snap," Casillas said. "That's what you play college football for. …We're all psyched up to play. We got the Axe here, and hopefully we can defend it."

UW head coach Bret Bielema, the proprietor of Wisconsin's "1-0 mentality" that helps the Badgers avoid distraction, admitted a partial liking for the incentive that comes with playing a longtime nemesis.

"I would say I probably favor more to the side of promoting rivalries," said Bielema, no stranger to Big Ten rivalries as an Iowa alum. "Any time you can give guys an extra incentive to play the game … it helps you even just focus on that, much more than anything else.

"I know one of the things I brought up on Saturday was the Axe," Bielema continued. "It's an important thing to our guys, and we're hopefully going to be able to carry that through this weekend."

Freshman running back P.J. Hill, now the second-leading rusher in NCAA Division-I football behind Northern Illinois' Garrett Wolfe, said he's ready for his first taste of Wisconsin-Minnesota football.

"We prepare ourselves hard every week, but this week it's just another step up. We're just preparing ourselves for this game because this is a big game," Hill said.

The Golden Gophers are led by senior Bryan Cupito, who has a considerably comparable to style to that of UW's Stocco. A three-year starter who is known for his ability to manage the game, Cupito's team has struggled to maintain a balanced offense with the loss of running back Laurence Maroney, a first-round pick in April's NFL Draft.

Without Maroney, Cupito comes in to Camp Randall armed with a pair of standout wide receivers in senior Logan Payne and junior Ernie Wheelwright.

"Their quarterback is a very, very strong influence in their offense," Bielema said. "Ever since I've been trying to defend Minnesota, I really believe they do a better job of making their run game and passing game look similar with their actions of not only their running backs, but offensive line and all their receivers. They really set up some big play opportunities."

Stocco said based on last year's wild shootout with the unthinkable ending, the team's new ranking has little significance, especially against their Border Battle foe.

"I've never seen anything like that, never played in anything like that before," Stocco said. "It goes to show you that with this rivalry, you can throw out all the rankings and all the stuff like that because anything can happen."

In a season that's shaping up to be a very special inaugural one for Bielema, Stellmacher stressed the importance of Wisconsin's need to continue their recent success on the home turf as UW has won 14 of its last 15 games at Camp Randall.

"It's one of our team goals, we need to protect this house, as the phrase goes," Stellmacher said. "Especially in the Big Ten, you have to win your games at home. If you don't, you don't even really have a shot to contend. We just have to go out this week, prepare just like any other week and get another win here at Camp Randall."