Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire
Wisconsin's Week 8 contest is The Battle For Paul Bunyan's Axe against a Minnesota squad that has dropped two straight after a strong start.
In a battle of two Big Ten upstarts on Saturday, Minnesota managed only 13 points for the second straight week, falling 21-13 to Northwestern. The loss was the Gophers' second in as many weeks, eliminating the momentum gathered by a 4-0 start.
Quarterback MarQueis Gray returned after missing the previous two games with knee and ankle injuries, though he did throw an interception and was injured again in the third quarter. Head Coach Jerry Kill also suffered a seizure in the locker room after the game, though he is reportedly "in excellent health" after being released from a Minneapolis hospital on Sunday.
What once appeared a short road to bowl eligibility is suddenly much longer and more arduous, given Wisconsin's improved play and the presence of Michigan, Nebraska and Michigan State still on the schedule. The Gophers have alternated between two quarterbacks (MarQueis Gray and Max Shortell) due to Gray's injuries, and rank sixth in the Big Ten in both passing (209.2 yards per game) and rushing (165.8 yards per game). The defense, sixth overall, is stout against the pass (162.5 passing yards allowed per game, second in the conference) but vulnerable on the ground (150.7 rushing yards allowed per game, eighth in the conference).
MINNESOTA BREAKDOWN:
- 4-2 (0-2), 6th in Legends Division
- Offense: 9th in Big Ten, 24.2 points per game
- Defense: 6th in Big Ten, 19.8 points per game
PASSING:
| NAME | COMP | ATT | YDS | COMP % | YDS/ATT | TD | INT | RATING |
| Max Shortell | 60 | 105 | 791 | 57.1 | 7.53 | 6 | 4 | 131.7 |
| MarQueis Gray | 33 | 55 | 464 | 60.0 | 8.44 | 5 | 2 | 153.6 |
RUSHING:
| NAME | CAR | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
| Donnell Kirkwood | 111 | 467 | 4.2 | 26 | 3 |
| MarQueis Gray | 54 | 320 | 5.9 | 75 (TD) | 3 |
| James Gillum | 23 | 60 | 2.6 | 16 (TD) | 1 |
| Max Shortell | 32 | 43 | 1.3 | 13 | 0 |
| KJ Maye | 13 | 43 | 3.3 | 7 | 0 |
RECEIVING:
| NAME | REC | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
| A.J. Barker | 22 | 406 | 18.5 | 53 (TD) | 4 |
| Isaac Fruechte | 11 | 186 | 16.9 | 34 | 2 |
| Devin Crawford-Tufts | 11 | 137 | 12.5 | 40 | 0 |
| Derrick Engel | 7 | 136 | 19.4 | 33 | 0 |
| John Rabe | 9 | 104 | 11.6 | 33 | 3 |
SCHEDULE/RESULTS:
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT/TIME | RECORD |
| Thu, Aug. 20 | @ UNLV | W 30-27, 3OT | 1-0 |
| Sat, Sept. 8 | New Hampshire | W 44-7 | 2-0 |
| Sat, Sept. 15 | Western Michigan | W 28-23 | 3-0 |
| Sat, Sept. 22 | Syracuse | W 17-10 | 4-0 |
| Sat, Sept. 29 | @ Iowa | L 31-13 | 4-1 (0-1) |
| Sat, Oct. 13 | Northwestern | L 21-13 | 4-2 (0-2) |
| Sat, Oct. 20 | @ Wisconsin | 11:00 PM CT | |
| Sat, Oct. 27 | Purdue | 2:30 PM CT | |
| Sat, Nov. 3 | Michigan | TBD | |
| Sat, Nov. 10 | @ Illinois | TBD | |
| Sat, Nov. 17 | @ Nebraska | TBD | |
| Sat, Nov. 24 | Michigan State | TBD |
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