Getting past painful loss to Badgers

Gophers coach Tim Brewster has a 24-hour rule with his players.

No matter what happens during the game on Saturday -- whether it be a heartbreaking loss or an emotional victory -- the players are expected to either deal with defeat or revel in victory for one day, then let it go as the team gets ready for the next game.

It's time for some strict enforcement of that rule.

The Gophers lost out on Paul Bunyan's Axe for the sixth consecutive time Saturday, losing 31-28 to an undefeated Wisconsin team that gradually took over the line of scrimmage. In the wake of that loss-- the Gophers' second of the season -- there is work to do. On defense, shredding blocks and tackling better. The offense continues to be a work in progress.

But that's not all.

The Gophers, a year older than last year at many positions, need to show they can bounce back from a difficult, emotional loss better than they did last year.

The Gophers started the 2008 season 7-1 before losing a winnable game against Northwestern when the Wildcats returned an interception for a touchdown in the waning seconds. It was an abrupt, painful loss, made more so by an ankle injury to receiver Eric Decker that ended up lingering for much of the season.

The following week a Michigan team suffering one of its worst-ever seasons came to the Metrodome and defeated the Gophers 29-6.

A week later Brewster got his team very charged up for a game at Wisconsin. Even without Decker in the lineup the Gophers went to Madison and jumped to a 21-7 halftime lead before losing 35-32 in an intense, hard-hitting game.

It was a draining game, a draining loss. A handful of players, including quarterback Adam Weber, talked about how difficult it was for the Gophers to bounce back from that game, as evidenced by the following week's 55-0 loss to Iowa.

Time for that 24-hour rule.

Brewster said he thinks the situations are different.

"It was a totally different point in the season last year," he said Sunday. "It was the end of the season. We didn't have Eric Decker. We didn't have a number of other guys. I think the circumstances are different. We did pour a lot into that game [Saturday]. We poured a lot into it. It's tough not to come out on the winning end of that deal. But we have great leadership, and when you have great leadership you're able to respond. That's what we're talking about, responding to the next game. The next game is Purdue. It's homecoming. We'll have a great crowd and it will be another opportunity to go win a Big Ten game."

The Gophers are 3-2, and Saturday's home game against Purdue -- 1-4 overall and 0-1 in the Big Ten after surrendering a second-half lead to Northwestern -- offers a chance to get back on the right track. It's especially important because the following two games are on the road against No. 14 Penn State and No. 9 Ohio State. After Purdue and the back-to-back road games, the Gophers come back for a three-game homestand against Michigan State, Illinois and South Dakota State. The Gophers need to hold serve on their home field.

It starts with the team bouncing back from a loss Saturday in a trophy game.

The players knew this right after Saturday's game.

"We have to learn through film, learn from our mistakes and look forward to the next game," cornerback Marcus Sherels said after Saturday's game. "We can't look back at this; we have to look to next week. We have a long season still to play. We can still continue and win through the Big Ten, hopefully make a great bowl."

Said Decker: "Football doesn't stop after a game like this. We have a few more opportunities to have special games here at TCF Bank Stadium and to continue having a good season."

Kent Youngblood • kyoungblood@startribune.com