It's been 12 long years since Barry Alvarez called timeout, hoping to freeze kicker Rhys Lloyd. A dozen tortured autumns for Gophers fans since Glen Mason added these pre-kick instructions for the England native: "Don't forget the Axe."
The date was Nov. 8, 2003. Kevin Garnett (25 points, 17 rebounds), Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell combined to keep the Miami Heat winless that night, and Kris Humphries was gearing up for his freshman hoops season with the Gophers.
Lloyd nailed that 35-yard field goal, sprinted to the Wisconsin sideline and yanked Paul Bunyan's Axe from its case, to loud roars inside the Metrodome.
Rashad Still was a first-grader then. On Saturday, he'll be at wide receiver for the Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium, as they try to stop their 11-game losing streak to Wisconsin, the longest in the rivalry's 124-year history.
This is Minnesota's best chance to beat Wisconsin in six years, according to the point spread. The Badgers were favored by an average of 19.6 points in their previous six meetings, but this time the Gophers are 2.5-point underdogs.
A win would send the Gophers (5-6, 2-5 Big Ten) to a fourth consecutive bowl game, but coach Tracy Claeys knows that accomplishment would matter far less than the rivalry victory itself.
"To me, there is no comparison," Claeys said. "No disrespect to the bowl, but that's a side product to this. Because this Axe has been in play for a long time, and we haven't had it for a while."
Not since Nov. 6, 2004, to be exact, when Holy Angels grad John Stocco led a 24-point Wisconsin rout over Minnesota. That was four days after George W. Bush defeated John Kerry in the presidential election.