Sid Hartman: Gophers gave this one away to Badgers

The Gophers football team certainly hurt its chances to play in a Jan. 1 bowl when it blew a 14-point first-half lead and lost 35-32 to Wisconsin on Saturday in Madison, Wis.

The Gophers' goal now should be to try to make the Insight Bowl in Phoenix, the game they played in two years ago against Texas Tech. To do that, though, they likely will have to beat a hot Iowa team at the Metrodome on Saturday.

Without a doubt, the Gophers played their worst second half of the season Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. They recovered from a horrible start, when their fumble handed the Badgers a touchdown in the opening minutes of the game, by scoring three touchdowns very quickly in the second quarter.

Both teams were hurt by turnovers, but the Gophers scored only one touchdown off the Badgers' three lost fumbles in the second quarter, the Badgers turned their first two takeaways into touchdowns, and their final interception sealed the victory when the Gophers were trying to drive for a tying field goal.

The Gophers also committed 10 penalties for 89 yards, compared to only five for 38 by Wisconsin.

Wisconsin has earned a reputation as a great running team, first under Barry Alvarez in the 1990s and now under his successor, Bret Bielema. But the Badgers also are often regarded as one of the worst passing teams in the Big Ten, and that certainly appears to be the case this season. However, on Saturday, the Badgers passed for 242 yards while rushing for only 116 yards on 45 carries, an average of 2.6 yards per carry.

The Gophers offensive line, a weakness most of the season, played a great first half protecting quarterback Adam Weber, but in the second half it was a completely different story. As the Vikings did against the Packers last weekend, the Badgers scored two safeties in a quarter against the Gophers, building a four-point lead.

One thing Gophers coach Tim Brewster is going to have to overcome is something that happened to the team frequently under Glen Mason as well: The Gophers fall into a real slump in the latter part of the season after starting out strong.

If they do lose to Iowa, the Gophers will finish the season losing their final four games after a 7-1 start.

Still, if they get Eric Decker back this week, beat the Hawkeyes and finish 8-4, nobody should complain about the 2008 Gophers season. But I'm positive Brewster is going to be very upset when he reviews the Wisconsin film and sees the numerous stupid penalties that cost them a chance to win.

Let's be clear: The Badgers didn't win this game. The Gophers gave it to them.

Frerotte recovers Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, who was a Rose Bowl-winning quarterback under Alvarez at Wisconsin, said he likes how Gus Frerotte keeps his composure even after the Vikings QB throws an interception. Frerotte has been especially prone to throwing interceptions of late, throwing three against Green Bay last week. "It's very important to be able to let the play go and continue to move on," Bevell said. "I think the most important thing is to continue to be aggressive, play the game as if you hadn't thrown one. You've got to let those go.

Frerotte is 1-2 against Tampa Bay in three career starts, with his fourth start scheduled to come today.

"You go to Tampa, and it's a tough place to play. It's always a good, physical game," Frerotte said. "It's a pretty loud stadium, crowd noise is always a factor. And then their defense is really good, you know? They put the other team in bad situations, so we have to stay on track and execute in this game."

Jottings Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice gives Lou Holtz credit for recruiting him at South Carolina, and Rice also credited Skip Holtz, the offensive coordinator under his dad at the time, for developing him as a very good receiver. Rice hasn't seen the ball much this season for the Vikings, but his only two catches over the past two weeks both have gone for touchdowns. Rice described Lou Holtz as "a tremendous coach, a great motivator. He's old-school, he likes things to be done right, a tough guy."

Center Matt Birk on the Vikings' woes at Tampa, where they have lost their past five games: "The biggest reason is they've been good for a long time. They've been really good. ...A couple of times we've gotten our lunch handed to us down there. I mean, they've had a lot of games that haven't even been close. ... It probably has to do with they've been a very good football team for a long time, and it's a tough place to play." The Vikings last won at Tampa Bay in 1997, winning 10-6 at the old Tampa Stadium before it was replaced by the current Raymond James Stadium. ... Speaking about former Vikings teammate Chris Hovan, who has revitalized his career playing defensive tackle for the Buccaneers, Birk said: "He throws his body around, is very disruptive, makes a lot of plays. But, probably, more often than that he causes disruption and allows other guys around him to make plays."

Ryan Wittman, the former Eden Prairie basketball standout and the son of Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman, is starting his junior season at Cornell. In the first game of the season, Wittman led the Big Red with 25 points, to go along with five assists and seven rebounds in a 79-69 home victory over South Dakota. It was the Coyotes' first game as a Division I basketball program. Wittman is Cornell's leading returning scorer from last year's NCAA tournament team.

Former Minnetonka star and 2008 Metro Player of the Year Anthony Tucker had 10 points and two rebounds in 25 minutes of action to help Iowa win its first game of the year, 68-48 over Charleston Southern on Friday.