While the Minnesota siege of Camp Randall was almost a successful campaign, “almost”  enters the record book indifferent from “never had a chance.”  Wisconsin did not play a good football game, but Minnesota made too many mistakes to pull out a win.  The Gophers almost lifted Paul Bunyan’s axe from the grounds of Camp Randall Stadium, but injuries and inexperience hobbled their effort and they fell under the very axe they sought.

Despite several mistakes and costly turnovers by Minnesota, Wisconsin only won by three points.  A top tier Division 1 team would have won by a much larger margin if given a three-car garage sized window of opportunity.  Each of the following events and decisions would have resulted in a different outcome for the game:

1. The fumble on the opening drive.  This one seems obvious, but it resulted in seven points towards a three point win.
2. Playing “not to lose” with 2:05 left in the first half.  An effective hurry-up offense could have tried to implement a series of sideline passes in order to drive into enemy territory for an  attempted score.  However, the coaching decision on this one may have been a good one since Minnesota’s young receivers, Adam Weber’s inconsistency, and Joel Monroe’s kicking had been liabilities in past weeks.  The point is that a strong offense would have had the confidence to run the two-minute drill.  Even a field goal could have sent the game to overtime.
3. Shady Salamon’s fumble with 7:55 left in the game.  Adam Weber pitched the ball behind Salamon instead of hitting him in stride.  This one also cost the Gophers seven points.
4. Adam Weber’s Decker-less struggles.  Many of his passes have been off-target.  Even the touchdown to Brodrick Smith was underthrown.  Several completions did not hit wide open receivers in stride (including the fumbled pitch to Salamon).  He appeared uncomfortable during the hurry-up offense near the end of the game and threw an interception.  Great quarterbacks shine under pressure and command the hurry-up offense in the two-minute drill.  Long term, losing Eric Decker for a few games may be the best thing that happened to Adam Weber.  Before the injury, Weber would try to force the ball to Decker without giving consideration to other wide receivers.  Now, he is being forced to read the defense and track multiple targets.  Remember the Brett Favre era for the Packers?  Almost every time he established a primary receiver who accumulated impressive statistics, the receiver would leave for a big payday.  Favre never missed a step, and would proceed to make average receivers appear extraordinary.
5. David Gilreath.  Gilreath chose to abandon his home state of Minnesota in order to play for Wisconsin.  Gilreath had a few key receptions for the Badgers.  He is a talented wide receiver who as a Gopher would have given Weber another dangerous target.  If Gilreath had remained home to be a Gopher, the final score probably would have been different.  Apparently the access to abundant fried cheese, liquor stores on Sunday, and the peace and quiet of the Wisconsin countryside is more desirable than an active, thriving metropolis with professional teams for every major sport.

The bottom line is that a three point loss to Wisconsin and a game ending touchdown by Northwestern are the difference between a 9-2 and a 7-4 record for Minnesota.  As the coaching staff bring in talented recruits and the young Gopher team matures, the program should continue to improve.  It just isn’t easy to watch a winnable game fall under the axe once again.