Gopher Update: I feel like we've been here before

Another week another Gopher victory.  The game was rather boring as the Gophers were methodical in just going about their business in beating an inferior Penn State team so I won't focus too much on it.  However, as I write that I do realize how weird that last sentence sounded, "Gophers were methodical in just going about their business in beating an inferior Penn State team."  Huh, file that under words I didn't expect to type this year.  After losing out on Floyd and the Little Brown Jug earlier in the year, the win over Penn State puts a trophy in the case and we will get to keep it until at least 2016.

We finally win a trophy game and then  proceed to break the trophy.
I guess this is why we can't have nice things.

With the win the Gophers are getting a lot of great regional and national press including the Big Ten Network saying the Gophers are making history and ESPN profiling Jerry Kill on ESPN College GameDay.  The Gophers are even ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 2008.

What does Jerry Kill think about that?

Jerry!  Jerry!  Jerry!  

The story for the 2013 Gophers is really great.  Despite losing their coach to seizures in the middle of the season, the team has rebounded to go on a 4-game win streak, their longest conference winning streak since 1973, and the Gophers have won 8 games for the first time since 2003.  But the season isn't over yet.  We still have 2 regular season games to play and they are two big games:  #20 Wisconsin and at #17 Michigan State.  Although they need some help, the Gophers are still in the hunt for a Big Ten title but they must continue winning and that makes the Battle for the Axe a big game for this program.  

How big is the latest version of the Battle for the Axe?

It is a big opportunity for the Gophers.  In fact, it is big enough that the Producer for ESPN College GameDay acknowledged via Twitter that the game is on the radar for hosting College GameDay:

I was thinking back in the annals of recent Gopher football history for comparable games where a win could get the Gophers over the hurdle from good to elite and I came up with 3 games.

2008 - Northwestern (6-2) vs. #17 Minnesota (7-1). With the game tied late, Minnesota decided to be aggressive and go for the win rather than kneeling to go to OT.

2005 - #23 Wisconsin (6-1) vs. #22 Minnesota (5-1). Coming off a win at Michigan the Gophers were riding high. The Gophers rushed for 411 yards and but screwed away many opportunities to put the game away. Despite scoring a TD with 3:21 to go to take a 10 point lead they kept Wiscy in the game and then this happened:

2003 - #19 Michigan (4-2) vs. #13 Minnesota (6-0). Glen Mason's best team. They had the city buzzing like I've never seen it before and everybody was talking Rose Bowl. Trailing 7-28 heading in to the 4th quarter, Michigan was on the ropes.  I can't even watch the video to post it here.  It is too painful.  You know how that game ended.  Michigan went on to win the Big Ten. Had Minnesota won the game they would have tied for the conference championship, their first since 1967, and gone to their first Rose Bowl since 1961.


The Gophers not only lost all three of those games but they lost them in a way that made you believe they were about to get over the hump only to have them come back and kick you in the balls.  Personally, my expectations are a little lower heading in to the next two games than it had been in the past but if they jump out to an early lead against Wisconsin I may need a nut cup.