Heading into the last weekend of Big Ten play, Minnesota is
the only conference team that knows it will be playing its last game of the
season on Saturday.

Apparently no one bothered to tell Ernie Wheelwright.

Despite boasting a 1-10 record (0-7 in conference play),
Minnesota's top-scoring receiver remains unfazed going up against No. 24
Wisconsin this Saturday in Minneapolis.

"We give every team respect," Wheelwright said. "(Wisconsin)
played their hearts out and beat Michigan this year. So we definitely give them
respect, but we're going to go out here and put our pants on the same way they
do and strap on our helmets the same way they do it and just go out there and
play ball."

With five losses by a combined 16 points including an overtime
and double-overtime loss by a point each, the Gophers' record could be seen as
misleading (though their lone victory came in triple-overtime). As far as
putting points up on the board, this Minnesota team is what Big Ten fans have
grown accustomed to, scoring at least 31 points in five of 11 games this
season. A big reason for that is Wheelwright. He is second on the team with 59
receptions and 683 yards, and is fourth in the conference in receiving
touchdowns with nine, trailing only Indiana's James Hardy (15), Michigan's
Mario Manningham (11) and Ohio State's Brian Robiskie (10).

At 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, it comes as no surprise the
Columbus, Ohio, native is able to use his body to gain positioning on defensive
backs.

"Being a big, physical, tall receiver in the Big Ten — it
has its advantages," Wheelwright said.

Wheelwright was able to use his size to his advantage when
he played Wisconsin for the first time in 2004. In the 38-14 Badger victory,
Wheelwright was a bright spot for Minnesota, catching six balls for 83 yards
and a touchdown. In the last two meetings between these teams, however,
Wheelwright has caught just four balls for a combined 52 yards.

"Definitely the offense the last couple of years had really
changed, and we were really running the ball a lot," Wheelwright said. "My
freshman year we had a running offense, but we still threw the ball downfield.
This year it's a totally different offense from the last two years that we
played Wisconsin.

"I'm just going to go out there and play my heart out like I
do every Saturday."

In four wild years with Minnesota, Wheelwright has learned
to never stop playing until the final whistle blows.

"As Minnesota Gophers, we've seen it all," he said. "There's
been pretty much nothing we haven't seen."

Two games came to mind.

At last year’s Insight Bowl Minnesota held a 31-point lead
on Texas Tech in the third quarter and ended up losing. And holding a three-point
advantage with 30 seconds left against Wisconsin two years ago, Jonathan
Casillas blocked a punt, and Ben Strickland recovered it in the end zone for
the game-winning touchdown.

So according to Wheelwright, there's nowhere else to go but
up.

That statement could arguably apply to Minnesota football
during Wheelwright's tenure, but might be more appropriate when talking
specifically about the Badgers, against whom the Gophers are 0-3 in
Wheelwright's first three seasons. Despite that, he still recognizes the
history between these two teams.

"I think it's one of the best rivalries in college
football," Wheelwright said. "It's definitely a little more special just
knowing about the tradition between Minnesota and Wisconsin and just knowing
that playing on the field, there's going to be a lot of guys on the Wisconsin
team from Minnesota and a lot of guys from Wisconsin on the Minnesota team."

Wheelwright appreciates the rivalry enough to admit a win
would certainly take some of the sting of this season away.

"It wouldn't be (a great win) because it's the end of the
season; it'd be a great victory because it's over Wisconsin."

Regardless of what happens Saturday, Wheelwright seems to
have little regret looking back at his college career.

"I've enjoyed every moment once all is said and done because
up until now I've had a great college career," Wheelwright said. "I've had good
times, and I've had bad times. I can say that I've played in some of the big
games and made some of the biggest plays and some of the tough catches, so I
feel like I had a great college career."

With one game before the book is shut on his college football
career, Wheelwright has one more opportunity to add an exclamation point to his
legacy. And what better way to end it against his rival, Wisconsin.

"I just can't wait to face them," Wheelwright said.