BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — When senior safety Leo Musso walked into the gloomy Wisconsin football locker room at halftime on Saturday, he had a lot on his mind.
He was angry and frustrated. He was a bit confused, too, because he couldn't quite put his finger on why the Badgers had just spent the first 30 minutes of their Big Ten Conference regular-season finale against Minnesota at Camp Randall Stadium in such disarray.
Playing on Senior Day, fifth-ranked UW looked woozy on offense, porous on defense and gave the Gophers momentum by allowing a long kickoff return. The result was a double-digit deficit for the first time in 23 games dating back to the start of last season.
Sensing an unhealthy mood in the locker room, Musso listened to his heart.
"I knew I needed to say something," he said.
But first he grabbed a prop.
The Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry is the most-played in major college football — 126 meetings and counting — and the series is defined by the winner taking possession of Paul Bunyan's Axe.
The 6-foot piece of polished lumber had lived in Madison since 2003 — 12 straight years — but that stay was in clearly in jeopardy. Musso picked up the Axe and began to speak.
"Everyone just relax and take a second to think about what's going on," he implored his teammates.
Musso recounted that "we played the worst half that we've probably ever played in a football game" and that everyone needs to "forget that this is our last home game, forget that it's Senior Day and just go out there and play."
In other words, focus on the singular task of retaining the Axe.
The collective response produced a landmark 31-17 victory that not only enabled the Badgers to keep the Axe for a record 13th-consecutive year, it meant advancing to the Big Ten title game on surge of momentum.
Wisconsin (10-2 overall, 7-2 in the Big Ten) will put a six-game win streak on the line in the league championship when it faces Penn State (10-2, 8-1) at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday in Indianapolis.
UW stormed back from a 17-7 halftime deficit in large part because its defense — embarrassed in the first half — intercepted four passes, generated four sacks, forced six straight drives of three plays or less and limited the Gophers to 60 total yards.
"We just came out and played with the mentality that we had to win every play," Musso said. "Each guy's got to win his battles regardless of what they're doing. Whether it's special teams, defense, offense or standing on the sidelines, you've just got to win."
It was appropriate — even fate perhaps — that the comeback by the Badgers was fueled by those in their 13-member senior class.
Like Musso. The Gophers were on the UW 14, poised to bump their advantage to 24-10, when he intercepted a Mitch Leidner pass intended for wide receiver Rashad Still in the end zone.
Like cornerback Sojourn Shelton. He ended Minnesota's first possession of the fourth quarter with an interception, returning it 40 yards to set up the tying touchdown.
Like tailback Corey Clement. He rushed for 100 yards on 26 carries and scored a pair of short-yardage touchdowns during a 21-0 fourth-quarter surge.
Like quarterback Bart Houston. He took over full-time in the second quarter when redshirt freshman starter Alex Hornibrook was knocked out of the game. Houston completed 9 of 14 passes for 123 yards and carried three times for 12 yards.
Like tailback Dare Ogunbowale. He sealed the victory with a 6-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
"It was special that a lot of older guys stepped up and made plays," Musso said.
It was hard to tell which Musso moment — the speech or the timely pick — had the biggest impact on the third fourth-quarter comeback of the season for UW.
"Moose definitely hit the nail on the hammer," Clement said, in a delightfully convoluted metaphor regarding the speech. "In a genuine way, he was telling everybody to wake up, that we still have another half to play, so don't put your head down."
Shelton said Musso got everyone thinking in terms of simplifying their games.
"His thing was let's go out and play our style of football — smash-mouth football, physical football on defense and let's get back in the lead and let's win this," Shelton said.
Musso said he was puzzled by what the Badgers brought to life in the first two quarters.
"What we put out on tape in the first half, that wasn't us," he said. "For whatever reason we just kind of came out flat. I don't know if it was emotional because of Senior Day or what."
The halftime speakers guild also included junior outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who injected a little fire and brimstone.
"He said we looked flat and we have to get some swag going," Clement said.
"You need guys like that to give you a kick in the butt," Musso said of Watt.
Shelton, who added another pick in the fourth quarter, said he came into the locker room at halftime focused on confidence.
"It was tough, but I just wanted to show the other guys not to panic," he said. "We don't have a panic switch. We only had two things we could do: Fold, or come out and play the style of football that we're capable of and know we can play.
"Today was another reminder of how we handle adverse situations."
Houston said he came to the locker room at halftime in a calm state.
"I try to play to play this game with a smile on my face no matter what happens," he said. "I still had a smile on my face because I had confidence in this team, this offense.
"My message to the wide receivers was we've got to make plays, but we don't have to be doing anything extra or be trying any more than we're capable of doing.
"Just be the best us."
Houston, who has stayed focused despite losing his starting job to Hornibrook, said the second-half comeback resembled every kid's dream growing up.
"This is the one where you're on the playground saying, 'It's fourth and 10 … You're down by 7 … You've got to score,'" he said. "That was one of those moments."
One of the most amazing Axe facts is that the series, which began in 1890, is now even at 59-59-8.
"This is a special rivalry to be in," Shelton said. "Every year it's been a fun game to play in. This is definitely one of them that when I have kids and all that stuff and if they love football, we can definitely talk about this game."
Musso said the prop from his speech is a symbol of persistence and competition.
"It was good that we persevered and came out and won," he said. "We knew how much that Axe meant to us. Not just us, but the whole state of Wisconsin and the guys who played here before us."
