Gophers blow lead, can't pry the axe away from Wisconsin

MADISON, WIS. – The Gophers had a 14-point lead. David Cobb was back from his hamstring injury. This improbable, winner-take-all Big Ten West title game looked like it really could go their way.

But Wisconsin dashed those hopes Saturday behind the nation's third-ranked scoring defense. The Badgers squeezed the life from the Gophers offense, building their own lead, and then withstood a late rally for a 34-24 victory before an announced 80,341 at Camp Randall Stadium.

The Gophers dejectedly cleared the field, while No. 14 Wisconsin (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten) grabbed Paul Bunyan's Axe for the 11th consecutive time and celebrated a return trip to the Big Ten title game. The Badgers will meet East Division winner Ohio State on Saturday night in Indianapolis.

"I feel bad for our kids," Gophers coach Jerry Kill said. "Love them to death, and I hurt for them because they've played their tail ends off every week."

The No. 22 Gophers (8-4, 5-3) haven't defeated Wisconsin since 2003 and hasn't won in Madison since 1994. They also haven't won a share of the Big Ten title since 1967.

There were moments Saturday when it looked like they might be ready to change that history, but they couldn't maintain their early-game success.

Cobb, who wasn't expected to play after injuring a hamstring in last week's victory at Nebraska, finished with 25 carries for 118 yards. That gave Cobb 1,548 yards for the season, which broke Laurence Maroney's school record of 1,464.

"I'm not a big fan of moral victories," he said. "We came here to win; we didn't win, so I don't see any positives out of that."

Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon entered the game with 2,109 rushing yards, tied for the single-season Big Ten record with Ron Dayne. Gordon had 29 carries for 151 yards, shattering Dayne's record with two games still to play.

Gordon limped off the field in the fourth quarter because of an ankle injury, but coach Gary Andersen said the junior would be fine. Corey Clement also gave the Gophers fits, returning from a shoulder injury to carry seven times for 89 yards a touchdown.

The Gophers got what they needed from Cobb, but Mitch Leidner completed only five of 18 passes for 95 yards. Meanwhile, Joel Stave had one of his better games for Wisconsin, completing 11 of 18 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns.

Alex Erickson, a former high school quarterback who came to Wisconsin as a walk-on, torched the Gophers with five receptions for 160 yards.

"I can't comment on all that stuff," Kill said. "That's all I can really say."

The Gophers also had the wrong coverage package, as Erickson got free from cornerback Jalen Myrick, and safety Cedric Thompson couldn't get there in time to help.

"It was just a personnel miscommunication, and he ended up being open," said Thompson, who led the Gophers with 12 tackles, including two tackles for a loss.

When Cobb fumbled with 18 seconds left in the first half, the Badgers took over at their own 31. But Stave completed two big passes to set up a 38-yard field goal.

The Gophers had been 20-0 under Kill when leading at halftime, and led this one 17-13, but Wisconsin had the momentum. On his first carry of the game, Clement gave the Badgers their first lead with a 28-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter.

The Gophers showed some brief life when Leidner found a wide-open Maxx Williams for a 53-yard gain. It was Williams' only catch, and Leidner quickly scored with a 2-yard run.

"We knew we could come back and win this game," Leidner said. "We knew we had been in this position before."

But Wisconsin came right back down and scored. Stave hit Robert Wheelwright, the younger brother of former Gophers receiver Ernie Wheelwright, with a 17-yard TD pass.

"That drive was paramount, and we needed to do a better job executing to get a stop there," said Gophers senior Cameron Botticelli, who finished with 1½ tackles for loss.

A short time later, Wisconsin players ran behind their end zone to get the Axe, and the crowd roared its approval. Last year, the teams had a standoff after Wisconsin grabbed the Axe, but this time the Gophers left the field peacefully, allowing the Badgers to celebrate their division title.

"We lost the football game today, but we're not defeated," Botticelli said. "We're going to play in a bowl game, and we're going to get back to work."