MADISON, Wis. – To say there’s a lot on the line for the Wisconsin Badgers this weekend would be an understatement.
Saturday is Senior Day for 13 UW players who are in their final season with the team, and the Badgers will be taking on the Minnesota Golden Gophers for the 126th time and trying to defend a 12-game winning streak over the Gophers, who will be looking to steal Paul Bunyan’s Axe away from the Badgers for the first time since 2003.
That’s not to mention the potential to win the Big Ten West for the second time in three seasons, with a win set to lock up at least a share of the division title and a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game for the Badgers. Oh, and don’t forget about the implications for the College Football Playoff- the Badgers moved up to No. 6 in the committee’s rankings on Tuesday, and could well make the playoff if they beat Minnesota and win the Big Ten title.
No pressure, right?
All of those factors could trip up a team if they let them become distractions, but the Badgers seem confident that the players in their locker room can keep their eye on the prize. That’s in part because they did something a little different this year – instead of having just the coaching staff do their annual presentation about the history of the Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry, this year each member of the senior class got a chance to address the team about what the game has meant to them during their careers.
Some players, like Rob Wheelwright, had a breakout moment during Axe Week, while others, like Bart Houston had only played sparingly against the Gophers: Houston has played in one Axe game, where he had one punt for 31 yards as then-head coach Gary Andersen experimented with using Houston as the team’s rugby punter.
The point was that – big or small – everyone on the team can have an impact on how the game goes for the Badgers this weekend.
“It’s whatever you can do – whether it’s punting two years ago, or playing quarterback, guys getting the crowd going, it doesn’t matter,” Houston said Tuesday after practice. “This is the most important game of the year.”
Wheelwright, who caught his first career touchdown against Minnesota in Wisconsin’s 34-24 win over the Gophers in 2014, said he’s hoping that hearing the senior class’ take on the rivalry as they prepare for their final game at Camp Randall will help the underclassmen prepare for the game like they have been throughout the season.
“It was good for some of the younger guys to hear from the seniors and guys who have seen us win the Axe, who have played in these games and been in big moments and how serious it is to this whole university,” Wheelwright said. “For the younger guys to listen to us and the seniors to share each and every moment they felt, in-state guys and out-state guys, to tell their story (of) how great this rivalry game is and what it means to them and why it’s important for us to get a win, it was good.”
“I summed it up as ‘just live in the moment.’ Go out there and play like it’s your last game.”
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.
