B1G Rewind: An Axe to grind

November has shaped up like an Olympic round-robin in the Big Ten's West Division, and now we're on to the medal round.

Minnesota and Wisconsin, the most-played rivalry in major-college football, meet for the West Division's gold-medal game on Saturday. Iowa and Nebraska play for the bronze Friday in Iowa City.

The Badgers and Gophers square off in their most important battle since 1962, when Wisconsin beat Minnesota 14-9 in the season finale to earn a Rose Bowl nod and the Big Ten title. The teams tangle Saturday (2:30 p.m. BTN) at Camp Randall Stadium with the divisional title and a spot in the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis at stake.

'Everything's on the line,” Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon said. 'Minnesota is going to give us their all, and we're going to give them (our) all. It's not only for the Axe, it's not only that the winner goes to the Big Ten championship but it's senior day.”

This rivalry began in 1891 and Minnesota leads all-time 59-56-8. They once played for the 'Slab of Bacon” but it went missing during World War II. It was rediscovered in a Camp Randall storage room in 1994. In 1948, the schools began playing for 'Paul Bunyan's Axe,” one of college football's most recognizable traveling trophies.

It's always intense between border foes, and last year's 20-7 Wisconsin win was no exception. It was the Badgers' 10th straight victory in the series and a scuffle ensued after the game. Minnesota players took exception to the traditional fake chopping of the goal post by their Wisconsin counterparts at TCF Bank Stadium.

In fact, that moment still sat raw with Minnesota players during Big Ten Media Day in Chicago.

'It's definitely in the back of our heads,” Minnesota running back David Cobb said last July. 'When you have a team that comes across the field and wants to chop your goal posts down, that doesn't sit well with us. We'll go into Wisconsin this year with a little revenge and once we win the Axe, we will be chopping that goal post down.”

The game features two of the Big Ten's best power offenses. Wisconsin ranks third and Minnesota is fourth in total offense. Wisconsin leads the league in rushing offense, and Gordon's 2,109 rushing yards paces the nation and tied the Big Ten record. Minnesota ranks sixth in rushing. Cobb, who tweaked a hamstring against Nebraska on Saturday, ranks third individually with 1,430 rushing yards.

The teams rate at the league bottom in passing with Wisconsin 13th and Minnesota 14th. Defensively, Wisconsin continues to lead the Big Ten in defense despite giving up a season-high 412 yards to Iowa. Minnesota ranks seventh.

Wisconsin earned its spot by eliminating the Gophers' and Badgers' other historical rival, Iowa, 26-24 at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday. It was a hard-hitting game, just like Minnesota's 28-24 victory against Nebraska. Both winning teams are bruised up but looking forward to their clash on Saturday.

'This is what we have been working for all year,” Minnesota guard Zac Epping said. 'Whoever wins gets to go to the Big Ten Championship Game, and everyone is excited for it. We get to battle for the Axe. It's going to be a helluva game.”

'Now it's Minnesota and it's our rival game and everything's on the line,” Gordon said.

NEBRASKA SAWED OFF

Minnesota's victory against Nebraska shredded the last strands of the Cornhuskers' divisional title hopes. For the second consecutive week, Nebraska blew a 14-point lead against a divisional opponent. On Nov. 15, Nebraska led Wisconsin 17-3 before it was slaughtered 59-24. Saturday, the Cornhuskers led the Gophers 21-7 before Minnesota rallied to win 28-24.

'We're obviously disappointed. I feel bad for the seniors,” Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini said. 'But like I told the team, we lost because we didn't deserve to win. We didn't play well enough. We had too many busts. Our execution was subpar. Our tackling was horrendous. Too much leaky yardage. We beat ourselves in a lot of instances. We lost some opportunities, obviously on offense. Put the ball on the ground. Didn't take advantage of some opportunities. And all those things add up to losing against a good football team.”

Nebraska's run defense has struggled the last two weeks as well. The Cornhuskers gave up an abominable 581 rushing yards to Wisconsin, then allowed 281 to Minnesota. Nebraska has lost two straight to both Minnesota and Wisconsin and faces Iowa this week after a 38-17 setback to the Hawkeyes in Lincoln last year.

'We haven't regressed,” Pelini said. 'I said it about three weeks ago. I said some of the things that are plaguing us haven't hurt us up to this point. These last two weeks it hurt us. I mean it's as simple as that. We're not executing at a high enough of a level. Sometimes you can get away with it, sometimes you can't.”

EAST DIVISION CHAMPIONS

Ohio State (10-1, 7-0 Big Ten) clinched its second consecutive championship berth with a challenging 42-27 win against Indiana (3-8, 0-7). The Buckeyes actually trailed 20-14 in the third quarter after a 90-yard touchdown run from Hoosiers phenom Tevin Coleman before rolling with 28 consecutive points.

The Buckeyes extend their consecutive win record in Big Ten play to 23. Freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett threw four touchdown passes to break the school's single-season record with 33. The previous record of 30 was set by Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith in 2006.

'The good thing is we won the championship,” Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer said. 'Division championship. It will give us a ticket to the championship game. And then we can all focus on our rival (Michigan).”

Coleman continued his freakish statistics despite playing for a winless Big Ten team without a passing attack. Coleman rushed for 228 yards and added a 52-yard score to go along with his 90-yarder. Coleman now has 1,906 rushing yards, the ninth-most for a single season in Big Ten history.

'Wish him well in the NFL if that's what his desire because he's a really good back,” Meyer said. 'Top 10 back. Maybe higher than that.”

Ohio State will play the Minnesota-Wisconsin winner Dec. 6 in Indianapolis. Ohio State beat Minnesota 31-24 in Minneapolis on Nov. 15. The Buckeyes and Badgers have not played this year.

LAND OF LINCOLN

Illinois (5-6, 2-5) plays at Northwestern (5-6, 3-4) with the winner earning bowl eligibility. The Illini beat Penn State 16-14 on a last-second field goal, while Northwestern crushed Purdue 38-14.

'We're not where we need to be yet,” Illinois Coach Tim Beckman said. 'Our goal is to win that sixth football game. It will be a great opportunity for these seniors to walk off the field with a chance to have six victories. We're excited about it.”

SATURDAY'S STARS

Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon rushed for 200 yards and gained 46 yards receiving. ... Indiana running back Tevin Coleman rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns. ... Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett passed for 302 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 78 yards. ... Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for one score. ... Northwestern running back Justin Jackson ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

NOTEWORTHY

Illinois wide receiver Mike Dudek caught 11 passes for 115 yards. ... Penn State running back Akeel Lynch rushed 28 times for 137 yards and one touchdown. ... Michigan State wide receiver Tony Lippett caught five passes for 72 yards and a score. ... Rutgers linebacker Steve Longa had 11 tackles. ... Maryland quarterback C.J. Brown passed for 165 yards and rushed for 87 and a score. ... Michigan linebacker Jake Ryan had 14 tackles and a quarterback hurry. ... Purdue quarterback Austin Appleby threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns. ... Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner rushed for 110 yards and two scores and passed for 135 yards. ... Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw for 223 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 45 yards.

POWER RANKINGS

1. Ohio State (1) 10-1 7-0

Buckeyes can continue dominance over rival and strengthen resume for playoff spot

2. Wisconsin (2) 9-2 6-1

Gets its biggest rival for divisional title

3. Michigan State (3) 9-2 6-1

Spartans one win from likely New Year's Six bowl bid

4. Minnesota (4) 8-3 5-2

Gophers continue to prove they're no fluke

5. Nebraska (5) 8-3 4-3

Can win 10 games and still post disappointing season

6. Iowa (6) 7-4 4-3

Have lost 3 trophy games this year; last one this Friday

7. Maryland (7) 7-4 4-3

Beats Michigan, Penn State and Iowa in inaugural season

8. Northwestern (11) 5-6 3-4

League's true enigma now one win from bowl bid

9. Penn State (8) 6-5 2-5

Bowl eligible but hardly bowl worthy

10. Rutgers (9) 6-5 2-5

Finding out how difficult Big Ten play can be

11. Illinois (13) 5-6 2-5

Beating instate rival could salvage season and coach's stay

12. Michigan (10) 5-6 3-4

About to go through its third coaching search in seven years

13. Purdue (12) 3-8 1-6

Hard to gauge trajectory under Darrell Hazell thus far

14. Indiana (14) 3-8 0-7

QB injury crippled hopes of a bowl berth

STANDINGS

WEST DIVISION

Wisconsin 9-2 6-1

Minnesota 8-3 5-2

Nebraska 8-3 4-3

Iowa 7-4 4-3

Northwestern 5-6 3-4

Illinois 5-6 2-5

Purdue 3-8 1-6

EAST DIVISION

Ohio State 10-1 7-0

Michigan State 9-2 6-1

Maryland 7-4 4-3

Penn State 6-5 2-5

Rutgers 6-5 2-5

Michigan 5-6 3-4

Indiana 3-8 0-7

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

Minnesota 28, Nebraska 24

Illinois 16, Penn State 14

Northwestern 38, Purdue 14

Michigan State 45, Rutgers 3

Ohio State 42, Indiana 27

Maryland 23, Michigan 16

Wisconsin 26, Iowa 24

UP NEXT

Nebraska at Iowa, 11 a.m. (ABC) - Friday

Michigan at Ohio State, 11 a.m. (ABC)

Illinois at Northwestern, 11 a.m. (ESPNU)

Purdue at Indiana, 11 a.m. (BTN)

Michigan State at Penn State, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)

Minnesota at Wisconsin, 2:30 p.m. (BTN)

Rutgers at Maryland, 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com