It was another sobering performance from the Minnesota Golden Gophers Saturday, as the Wisconsin Badgers took the home team to the woodshed in a 31-0 beatdown, as Wisconsin stayed perfect through the regular season.
“It’s something we can be proud of certainly, but we’re not done,” said Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst after the game. “But it’s not easy to win, and for them to do that in the way they did, I appreciate being part of it.”
The No. 5 Badgers will keep Paul Bunyan’s Axe for a 14th straight season in a game that put little strain on Wisconsin, as they cruised for 456 total yards, 287 of which came on the ground.
The Gophers defense failed to find a consistent answer for the ground-and-pound attack of the Badgers. Despite holding star runner Jonathan Taylor to 42 yards in the first half and not letting the big play hurt them early, the defense was still worked for 262 yards headed into halftime. With fullback Austin Ramesh’s 41-yard dash off a sweep, the only big play of the first half, the defense did a good job of keeping the Gophers in the game.
Minnesota’s defense even won them the turnover battle, with a forced fumble by Thomas Barber and recovery from Kamal Martin to try to slow the Badgers. The offense promptly went three-and-out.
The same could not be said on the offensive side, as the Gophers produced just 46 yards in the first half. Quarterback Demry Croft was 1-4 passing for three yards, in a dismal showing for the Gophers, as his three totaled just 40 yards. At halftime, the Badgers already had the 17-0 lead, which they continued to work on in an equally-dominant second half
“We have to get stronger,” said Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck. “We have to bring that culture of sustainability, and that’s what we are here to do.”
The Gophers were simply outclassed, and lacked depth as their exhausted defense was forced to chase Taylor in the second half. The freshman Wisconsin workhorse put on a show in the second half, with 108 yards and a score on a mere eight carries. Taylor finished with 149 yards and averaged 7.5 yards per carry. Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornbook was polished as well, throwing for 151 yards and three scores on 15-19 passing in one of his most efficient games of the year.
The Gophers may have held the big play in check in the first half, but in the second plays of 53, 31 and 23 respectively, scared the Gophers and led to two more scores. Minnesota did not have anyone left to throw at the Badgers.
On offense, the receivers failed to separate or catch, the linemen filed to block, and the quarterback failed to make the right play. The offense finished with a meek 133 total yards, grabbing only eight first down and tallying a pair of missed field goals. Rodney Smith was the lone playmaker on the Gophers sideline, with 138 all-purpose yards in the hapless game. On defense, the gassed front did not stand a chance with the lack of depth in the 31-0 loss.
Fleck’s first year will be locked in at 5-6, with a 2-6 Big Ten record. He preached the need to go out and recruit for next season to get the team where it needs to be.
“We are going to be everywhere. We are going to solidify our 2018 class,” Fleck said on the recruiting expectations. “Hopefully, we will get a few more commitments here in the near future. Once signing day ends we will be working on our 19s.”
While five wins may be a solid start for what Fleck calls “year zero”, the Gophers will likely want to put the 2017 season behind them quickly, as the squad failed to score in the last two games of the year.
“We will be better next year,” said Fleck.
Listen to The Whole Gang Every Week on the Cold Omaha Staff Pod!
