Gophers vs. Wisconsin pregame coverage:
Wisconsin comes to Minneapolis undefeated and in pursuit of the College Football Playoff. Their schedule had been weak before beating Michigan 24-10 last week at Camp Randall. Like most Wisconsin teams, this year’s Badgers are led by a strong run game. True freshman Jonathan Taylor can do it all and has emerged as one of the best backs in the country. He runs behind an offensive line that’s been excellent in the run game but shaky in pass protection. The Badgers will do everything running the ball, from inside zone to outside zone to counters to jet sweeps. Wisconsin will often only have one receiver on the field. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook has the No. 3 passer rating in the Big Ten but also is interception prone because of his tendency to force passes into tight windows. Tight end Troy Fumagalli could be an All-American this year and is a weapon in both the run and pass game. The receivers are talented but young and have been forced to play before their necessarily ready, so at times they’ve struggled to get separation.
Wisconsin has a new DC in Jim Leonhard, who was the secondary coach last year, and still run a 3-4. All three down lineman are solid and eat space and double teams well. The linebackers have been solid despite having All-American Jack Cichy missing the senior to injury and his backup Chris Orr missing several games to injury; Orr is questionable for Minnesota but supposedly practiced to some degree twice this week. Three of four linebackers -- strongside linebacker Garret Dooley and inside linebackers Ryan Connelly and TJ Edwards -- will likely make an All-Big Ten team this season. Edwards was All-Big Ten last year and led the team in tackles the last two seasons, but former Eden Prairie walk-on Ryan Connelly leads the Badgers in tackles this year. Connelly is very aggressive shooting gaps, and although that can get him in trouble, he’s good at it. Wisconsin runs a mix of cover 2 and cover 3 but has a cover 2 base. Leonhard can be creative with his blitzes, and the Badgers use lots of zone blitzes and stunts. All starters in the secondary are upperclassman. The numbers suggest that Wisconsin has a top 5 pass defense, and they certainly might, but the Badgers also haven’t many great passing offenses. Cornerback Nick Nelson, a transfer from Hawaii, beat out returning starter Lubern Figaro. He starts opposite of returning starter and senior Derrick Tindal.
- Matchup Preview: Gophers vs. Wisconsin
- Facts & Figures: Wisconsin
- Fleck previews Wisconsin
- Behind Enemy Lines: Wisconsin
- Ayinde talks about the Axe, Wisconsin's run game, and freshman mentoring
- PJ Fleck weekly press conference notes
- Gopher Football Weekly with PJ Fleck
- 1st and 10: Badgers preparing to defend Paul Bunyan's Axe from Badger Blitz
- Pre-snap read: What do the Badgers need to do to beat Minnesota? from Badger Blitz
- Minnesota and Wisconsin meet for the Axe from the Associated Press
Wisconsin comes to Minneapolis undefeated and in pursuit of the College Football Playoff. Their schedule had been weak before beating Michigan 24-10 last week at Camp Randall. Like most Wisconsin teams, this year’s Badgers are led by a strong run game. True freshman Jonathan Taylor can do it all and has emerged as one of the best backs in the country. He runs behind an offensive line that’s been excellent in the run game but shaky in pass protection. The Badgers will do everything running the ball, from inside zone to outside zone to counters to jet sweeps. Wisconsin will often only have one receiver on the field. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook has the No. 3 passer rating in the Big Ten but also is interception prone because of his tendency to force passes into tight windows. Tight end Troy Fumagalli could be an All-American this year and is a weapon in both the run and pass game. The receivers are talented but young and have been forced to play before their necessarily ready, so at times they’ve struggled to get separation.
Wisconsin has a new DC in Jim Leonhard, who was the secondary coach last year, and still run a 3-4. All three down lineman are solid and eat space and double teams well. The linebackers have been solid despite having All-American Jack Cichy missing the senior to injury and his backup Chris Orr missing several games to injury; Orr is questionable for Minnesota but supposedly practiced to some degree twice this week. Three of four linebackers -- strongside linebacker Garret Dooley and inside linebackers Ryan Connelly and TJ Edwards -- will likely make an All-Big Ten team this season. Edwards was All-Big Ten last year and led the team in tackles the last two seasons, but former Eden Prairie walk-on Ryan Connelly leads the Badgers in tackles this year. Connelly is very aggressive shooting gaps, and although that can get him in trouble, he’s good at it. Wisconsin runs a mix of cover 2 and cover 3 but has a cover 2 base. Leonhard can be creative with his blitzes, and the Badgers use lots of zone blitzes and stunts. All starters in the secondary are upperclassman. The numbers suggest that Wisconsin has a top 5 pass defense, and they certainly might, but the Badgers also haven’t many great passing offenses. Cornerback Nick Nelson, a transfer from Hawaii, beat out returning starter Lubern Figaro. He starts opposite of returning starter and senior Derrick Tindal.
