AXE WEEK Burning Questions: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Wisconsin Badgers

On Saturday inside TCF Bank Stadium, the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers and No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers continue their storied rivalry -- but with so much more on the line than Paul Bunyan's Axe.

BadgerBlitz.com keeps its "Five Burning Questions" series rolling along into AXE WEEK, breaking down a handful of questions heading into what has become the game to decide who's heading to Indianapolis to represent the Big Ten West.

Easier said than done, but the Gophers boast an attack that generates 35 points and 431.8 yards per game on offense. That includes a passing scheme that throws for over 247 yards per contest and has seen wide receivers Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson both go over 1,000 yards on the season.

Last week, Wisconsin gave up 326 passing yards to Purdue, thanks in part to some trick plays that turned into long gains. However, some symptoms from past weeks peaked through as well. On top of that, first-team cornerback Faion Hicks is questionable with a head injury. In what is the biggest game of the season, can UW's secondary find the answers to lock down its rival?

I called this out earlier this week in our 3-2-1 series that kicked off AXE WEEK, but Minnesota has not allowed a team to rush for over 200 yards this season. The closest came from Penn State earlier this month in nearly getting to 180 on 29 carries.

However, the competition the Gophers have faced may not have been the stiffest of challenges. As I also noted, here are the yards gained by conference opponents against Minnesota this year and their subsequent ranking in the country:

*Purdue (gained 123 yards on 33 carries) -- 128th in the FBS

*Illinois (91 on 27) -- 79th

*Nebraska (151 on 43) -- 30th (note that Huskers quarterback Adrian Martinez did not play in that game)

*Rutgers (141 on 40) -- 106th

*Maryland (79 on 23) -- 55th

*Penn State (178 on 29) -- 61st

*Iowa (117 on 31) -- 101st

*Northwestern (128 on 49) -- 65th

Wisconsin heads to the Twin Cities rolling on offense -- grinding up three straight 300-yard plus performances on the ground that included 403 against Purdue last weekend. That puts them at about 250 rushing yards per contest -- 14th in the nation -- heading into the regular season finale.

For all the talk about the passing attack -- Minnesota's ground game gives its offense another facet to keep in check with averaging nearly 185 yards per outing in 2019. Running back Rodney Smith has rushed for 1,063 yards so far, but UW will also have to watch for Mohamed Ibrahim and Shannon Brooks who have combined for 811 yards.

The key for Wisconsin in this contest is not racking up the stats in the missed tackles column. That flaw has reared its ugly head several times this year, especially in some conference road contests.

In the fourth quarter against Illinois, two key turnovers helped turn the tide against Wisconsin in that upset loss. Take away Jonathan Taylor's fumble within the red zone, along with a late Jack Coan interception, and the Badgers likely escape with what is an ugly win.

Last week against Purdue, UW coughed up the ball four times. The team suffered five fumbles altogether, three that were lost to the Boilermakers.

In a road environment like this where the energy will be at another level, Wisconsin has to play mistake-free football in turnovers, and for that matter, in committing few penalties.

According to weather.com, temperatures on Saturday will hold in the mid-30s but with a 100 percent chance of precipitation (1-3" of snow expected, at least as of Wednesday's forecast). On the Friday night before the game, a potential 3-5" is expected to drop in the Twin Cities area as well.

How does it affect each team's gameplan? Will it nullify passing attacks and result in a game that is a throwback, smash mouth affair? It could be an interesting battle across state borders.