In one of the best games I've ever attended, the Badgers defense finally held on for the win. Minnesota came out in the first half firing(with the exception of a first drive fumble that resulted in a Wisconsin touchdown). Minnesota QB Adam Weber was scrambling all over the place and finding open receivers, and Dustin Sherer was having an abominable game, with the Badgers going just 1-7 on 3rd down chances, and with 3 first half turnovers. At halftime, it was time for the Badgers to dig deep inside and find out what they were really made of. We quickly found out as the Badgers drove down the field and nailed a field goal. What really stepped up in the 2nd half, was the defense, which was nearly perfect, except for a late touchdown drive by the Gophers. A special teams mistake led to a loose ball in the Gopher endzone, but no one could recover it and a safety was called. On the ensuing drive, Mike Newkirk sacked Weber in the endzone for a second consecutive safety, something I have never seen before. Minnesota would not quit, however, as they came back, even down by 11 and scored a touchdown. But time would run out, and the Badger faithful would celebrate another defeat of their border rival.

Wisconsin PP's:

Beckum, Travis 6-4, 219, 4.65 9 TE 2009- DNP out for year

Bscherer, Jake OT 2010- DNP

Carimi, Gabe 6-8, 301, 68 OT 2011- Played probably his best game this season. His footwork was solid, and his quick first step was back. Did not allow much penetration by the defensive lines. Looked very quick, and is back on my radar as a top pick in next years draft. They also played a karaoke segment from the Badger players and Carimi has arguably the best voice of the team : A-

Casillas, Jonathan 6-2, 226, 2 LB 2009- Finished with only 4 tackles(3 solos) because of the limited run game and virtually nonexistent TE game of the Gophers. Did misread a few times on screen plays and quick slants. Did have a TFL and a game winning fumble recovery deep in Minnesota territory: B-

Hill, P.J. 5-10, 236, 39 HB 2010- 24 rushes for 117 yards with 2 touchdowns. Also had 2 receptions for 11 yards. Ran with some decent power and his footwork looked crisp and quick, but PJ still has a lot to learn about hitting the whole hard and following his blockers. Many times he ran into his own offensive linemen, and stuttered coming into the whole and allowing himself to be easily tackled: B-

Kemp, Andy 6-6, 315, 75 OG 2009- The most polished man along the line. Very little penetration on his side, and his man was consistently being pushed back. Solid pass protection as he effectively uses his hands and stays patient not falling for many misdirection moves: B+

Pressley, Chris 6-1 259, 74 FB 2009- Did not register a run or reception but blocked pretty effectively all day while splitting time with Rentmeester. Pumped up the crowd in the 4th quarter when they showed a video of him screaming urging people to make noise. Also rivaled Carimi's karaoke performance with a great rendition of his own: B

Shaughnessy, Matt 6-6, 253, 92 DE 2009- Had a very big day with 5 tackles(4 solos), 1 sack, 1 TFL, and one pass defensed. Very quick off the snap and around the tackle. Stayed with the play and timed the pass nicely when he knocked down a Weber pass. Displayed some nice pass rushing moves and applied heavy pressure all day: A

Urbik, Kraig 6-6, 332, 63 OG 2009- Had a pretty good day. A bit more pressure on his side than the other, but still did a pretty good job. Extremely big and tough to push back, but on the flip side, does not really move the line of scrimmage forward much: C+

VandenHeuvel, Eric 6-7, 324, 71 OT 2009- DNP

Leading receivers for the Badgers were two Minnesota natives, Isaac Anderson and David Gilreath. Anderson came back to have a huge game after dropping a sure fire touchdown in the 2nd quarter. He finished with 6 receptions for 114 yards. Nick Toon(4 receptions, 44 yards) also has developed nicely over the past few weeks, as the Badgers receiving core looks very good heading into next season.

Minnesota PP's:

VanDeSteeg, Willie 6-4, 256, 4.80 91 DE 2009- Very big game with 3 solo tackles, 3 TFL, and 2 sacks. Incredibly good at chasing Wisconsin QB Dustin Sherer down and bringing him to the turf. Not the biggest or the quickest, but does a nice job at getting pressure. An interesting prospect to watch over the next few months: A-

Sophomore QB Adam Weber, doesn't have the strongest or most accurate arm, but is very slippery and finds the open man. A good looking prospect for the future if he can continue to develop.

The Badgers(6-5, 3-5), now bowl eligible, stay at home to wrap things up against Cal Poly. Minnesota(7-4, 3-4) returns home to face a hot Iowa team for the last game ever in the Metrodome.

Sam, love this information! Surely that has to improve his draft prospects!

A lot of NFL teams do require that all rookies sing in training camp haha. I'm sure this will make his transition a little easier.