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🏈SPORTS: EXPOSED!— Badgers End B-10 Season With Inept Effort @ MN! — No Offense, Little D, Lead To Embarrassing Loss, Avoids Facing Michigan In Big-10 Title Game!
By Paul Wickham Schmidt
Courtside Exclusive
November 28, 2021
When the Wisconsin Badgers took the field in Minneapolis on Saturday, afternoon they knew they were one win over the then 7-4 Gophers away from a rematch with the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten Title Game next Saturday. For the next 60 minutes, the Badgers looked every bit like a team that wanted to avoid that potential matchup. (Michigan beat the Badgers 38-21 at Camp Randall in October). In the process, the Badgers also lost “Paul Bunyun’s Axe” for the second time in the past four years while being subjected to the Gopher fans’ imitation of Wisconsin’s “patented jump around.”
Wisconsin was soundly beaten on both sides of the ball by a modestly talented, yet better coached and clearly more motivated, Gopher team. The Badgers failed to score an offensive touchdown. Their sole trip to the end zone came in the first half on a lucky tipped “pick six” by Scott Nelson.
For the second straight week, Coach Jim Leonhard’s “shut down” Badger defense couldn’t get a “less than awesome” offense off the field, particularly yesterday when it counted. The Gophers controlled the tempo of the game from opening kickoff to final whistle.
Perhaps the “best” illustrations of Badger futility came early in the second half. Ahead 10-6 despite a lackluster first half, the Badgers received the second half kickoff with a chance to “make a statement.” They did! But, not the kind they wanted.
Deep in his own territory, Badger QB Graham Mertz lofted a weak pass to 6th year receiver Kendrick Pryor, who made only a half-hearted effort to catch it. Instead the Gopher defender took the ball away, setting up a short field. Three plays later, the Gophers trotted into the end zone to take a 13-10 lead as a bewildered Badger “D” passively looked on.
On the following possession the Badgers drove methodically inside the Minnesota 10. With second and two from the Gopher five, three downs to make 2 yards, and a then a potential four downs to score, the Badgers appeared destined to retake the lead. Instead, they were forced to settle for a tying field goal that proved to be their last score.
The Golden Gophers then scored the final 10 points and held the Badgers at bay to notch the 23-13 victory. Badger freshman “sensation” running back Braelon Allen was a non-factor. The Badger “O Line’s” inability to open holes was matched by Allen’s failure to break tackles. The few attempts to hit Allen ‘in space” ended with him being stoned by Gopher defenders.
Badger senior tight end Jake Ferguson was another non-factor. Big Ten defensive coordinators have finally figured out how to defend him, particularly in the “red zone.” By contrast, Badger Coach Paul Chryst doesn’t seem to have developed an alternative.
Mertz is a good athlete, but at best an average “pocket passer.” Why not roll him out to create a run option when the receivers are covered? At least force the opposing D to make some difficult choices!
So, instead of a trip to the Big Ten Title Game in Indianapolis next week, the Badgers (8-4, 5-3) “earned” another trip to a “Podunk City Piddly Bowl” against a failed team from a different conference. The “B-Team” announcers sentenced to that (non) “classic,” will be required to shill about the wonders of the Badger defense, the prowess of Allen, and the brilliance of Head Coach Paul Chryst and Defensive Coordinator Jim Leonhard.
But, that won’t hide the truth about a mediocre team that once again underperformed preseason expectations.