BadgerBlitz.com brings back its All-Out Blitz weekly series, where you can find everything you need to know about Wisconsin's next opponent. We look at UW's twelvth opponent, and final conference foe in the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who the Badgers will face Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis (2:30 p.m. CT, FS1).

QUICK PROGRAM FACTS

Head Coach: P.J. Fleck (79-55, seventh season at Minnesota)

Minnesota All Time Record: 716-533-42 (.554)

2023 Record: 5-6, 3-5 Big Ten

Rankings: N/A

Series vs. Wisconsin: 62-62-8

Minnesota’s offense will be led once again by quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who’s had a mostly productive year. But like the team as a whole, has declined in recent weeks.

The sophomore is completing just 48.3% of his passes over the last three games. He most recently struggled against Ohio State, completing just 11 of 19 passes for 82 yards and an interception.

He did, however, beat the Badgers last year with 319 yards and two touchdowns, against a defense that was arguably better than this year’s.

Kaliakmanis can at least lean on one of the Big Ten’s more productive receivers in Daniel Jackson, who’s currently sitting at third in the conference with 710 receiving yards. He struggled last week against Ohio State, but did finish with seven receptions for 119 yards the prior week against Purdue.

These two will try their best to play a clean game against a Wisconsin offense that’s desperate for a turnover.

After catching two interceptions against Kyle McCord, they didn’t get a single takeaway against Indiana or Northwestern. They then played one of the most turnover-prone teams in the country in Nebraska, but didn’t take the ball away until the final play of the game when Chubba Purdy threw up a prayer.

Kaliakmanis is tied for third in the Big Ten with eight interceptions, while Badgers cornerback Ricardo Hallman is still tied for the conference lead in interceptions with five.

The sophomore quarterback may have to carry a heavier load given the Gophers’ recent struggles running the ball

Darius Taylor is the team’s leading rusher with 591 rushing yards on the season, but suffered an injury against Iowa over a month ago and has been sidelined since.

Jordan Nubin took over for him in the depth chart, but hasn’t come close to matching his production. He had a great game in his first real start against Michigan State, rushing for 204 yards, but hasn’t done much since. Nubin has averaged just 71 rushing yards per game during their recent three-game losing streak.

The biggest question for Wisconsin’s defense is ultimately how they start. The Badgers let Nebraska score a 50+ yard touchdown on each of their first two drives, then mostly limited them. But if they let the Gophers jump to an early lead, it could be hard for Wisconsin’s offense to dig themselves out of the hole.

Just as it has the entire season, the offense will still run through Braelon Allen, despite his recent issues.

He went down in the first half against Ohio State and missed the following two weeks. The offense absolutely felt his absence, losing all three games and averaging just 93.6 rushing yards per game in that span. Allen finally came back against Nebraska and scored Wisconsin’s only touchdowns in the second half and overtime, but finished with just 62 yards on 22 carries.

Luckily for Allen, he’ll now face a run defense that doesn’t much compare to Nebraska’s. The Gophers have been absolutely gutted in the previous two weeks, allowing 353 rushing yards against Purdue, then 215 against Ohio State.

The ex-factor on Minnesota’s defense will be linebacker Cody Lindenberg, who nearly came back against Ohio State, but was ultimately sidelined once again. He could be the key to the Gophers restoring their run defense that’s struggled as of late.

Despite their assumed emphasis on the Allen, they at least know that Tanner Mordecai is once again reliable. In his first game back from injury against Northwestern, he finished with impressive stats, but ultimately looked rusty. His true comeback game came last week against Nebraska, where he threw for less yards and completions, but made some game-altering plays, especially on the ground.

Regardless of what the Badgers emphasize Saturday, Will Pauling should continue to be one of the most important players on Wisconsin’s entire team.

He’s coming off of an eight reception, 79-yard performance against the Cornhuskers where he also led the team with 11 targets, according to Pro Football Focus. The next highest Wisconsin receiver in that regard was Tucker Ashcraft, who was targeted just three times.

Wisconsin’s passing offense could ultimately feel the pressure from Minnesota’s stout pass rush. Danny Striggow is tied for fourth in the Big Ten with six sacks, while Jah Joyner has an impressive 29 pressures, according to PFF.

If the Gophers slow down Allen and put pressure on Mordecai, they could capture their third win in a row against the Badgers.

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