Tag: Minnesota

DK Metcalf urges Seahawks fans to avoid selling tickets to Vikings fans

DK Metcalf urges Seahawks fans to avoid selling tickets to Vikings fans

The Seattle Seahawks are hosting the Minnesota Vikings at Lumen Field in Sunday’s Week 16 showdown. It qualifies as Seattle’s final regular-season game at home. Mike Macdonald’s club won’t play another contest at Lumen Field during the 2024 campaign unless they win the NFC West division. They currently trail the Los Angeles Rams for that crown.

In Week 15, Lumen Field was infested with Green Bay Packers fans. The Seahawks were dominated by the Packers, losing 30-13 in non-competitive fashion. That setback may encourage The 12’s to continue selling their season tickets to the visiting fan-base. It’s been a recurring issue this season, with a similar outcome versus the Buffalo Bills earlier in the schedule. Superstar wide receiver DK Metcalf hopes that isn’t the case on Sunday.

“We still need them to come out and be supportive,” Seattle receiver DK Metcalf told reporters on Wednesday regarding the home fans. “I know in the first quarter, second or third play of the game, it got crazy loud in there. I looked around and there were a lot of Green Bay fans. They did a great job traveling, but just wishing us 12s didn’t sell as many tickets as they did to make sure we kept the home-field advantage. But yeah, man, it would mean a lot just to take this last one home and finish off the season strong so we can play again in front of them in the playoffs.”

The Seahawks will visit the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Week 17 on a Boxing Day edition of Thursday Night Football. In Week 18, they’ll visit the Rams in a potential NFC West-deciding divisional showdown. Hopefully Metcalf and his teammates feel The 12th Man offers them a proper sending-off en route to their playoff-deciding contests in Chicago and Los Angeles. It could be our final opportunity to watch our beloved Seahawks at home until next September.

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Minnesota in pursuit of Wisconsin top transfer wide receiver

Minnesota in pursuit of Wisconsin top transfer wide receiver

The Minnesota Golden Gophers extended an offer to Wisconsin transfer wide receiver Trech Kekahuna on Tuesday.

The offer follows Kekahuna’s recent decision to enter the portal after playing two years with the Badgers. He is one of 15 Wisconsin scholarship players (17 overall) to enter since the portal officially opened on Monday.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin football’s transfer portal offers, interests and top targets

The speedy slot receiver caught 25 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns for the Badgers in 2024. His role was somewhat limited throughout the season as veteran Will Pauling dominated snaps and touches at the position.

Kekahuna’s best outing was a six-catch, 134-yard, 2-touchdown game against Purdue on Oct. 5. The breakout gave a glimpse at what he’s capable of with top-end speed and ability.

https://twitter.com/trechkekahuna/status/1866501104441438345

Kekahuna departed the Badgers’ wide receiver room as the program changes its offensive system under new coordinator Jeff Grimes. Wisconsin’s passing offense ranked No. 14 in the Big Ten in 2024 despite Phil Longo’s air raid approach.

Minnesota, meanwhile, ranked No. 10 led by veteran quarterback Max Brosmer.

Kekahuna garnering significant interest is not a big story. He shouldn’t have trouble finding a strong destination to play his remaining years of eligibility. The story is Minnesota’s pursuit. Wisconsin-to-Minnesota transfers, or vise versa, are incredibly rare — that’s what made Markus Allen’s jump back and forth between the programs in 2022 such a surprise.

Kekahuna also has announced offers from Arizona, Washington State, New Mexico State, UNLV, San Jose State, Wyoming, Houston, UConn, Hawaii, Utah, East Carolina, Michigan State, NC State and Iowa State. There is no shortage of interest. We’ll see if Minnesota can win the recruiting battle.

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Wisconsin QB Braedyn Locke discusses future with the Badgers after loss to Minnesota

Wisconsin QB Braedyn Locke discusses future with the Badgers after loss to Minnesota

Wisconsin’s 2024 regular season came to a crashing end on Friday afternoon with a 24-7 loss to rival Minnesota. The loss finishes the team’s quest for a 23rd consecutive bowl appearance — barring a significant collection of Week 14 upsets and the Badgers edging other 5-7 teams in APR (Academic Progress Rate).

For all intents and purposes, Wisconsin’s 2024 season came to a close with a decisive loss to its biggest rival.

Related: Braelon Allen, notable former Wisconsin players react to Badgers loss to Minnesota, worst season since 2001

The result begins what will be a pivotal offseason for Luke Fickell. He must hire an offensive coordinator, reshape the program’s identity, reload the roster in the transfer portal and work to reverse what has gone wrong over the last two seasons.

One big variable in that equation is the quarterback position. Veteran Tyler Van Dyke, who tore his ACL during the Badgers’ Week 3 loss to Alabama, could return for another season. Braedyn Locke, who played the majority of the 2024 season in relief of Van Dyke, is only a redshirt sophomore. Other potential factors in the room include true freshman Mabrey Mettauer and incoming top recruit Carter Smith.

Wisconsin may be forced back into the transfer market for 2025 given the questions surrounding Van Dyke’s health and Locke’s on-field results. Van Dyke may not be ready for Week 1 next fall, while Locke finished 2024 with a 3-7 overall record, 1,936 yards, a 55% completion rate, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His play was one of the many factors in the team’s five-game losing streak to close the season.

Locke discussed his future with the program when meeting with the media after the Minnesota loss on Friday. Here is his full comment, courtesy of The Athletic’s Jesse Temple:

“I’ve got a lot of pride in this program,” Locke said. “I love being a Badger. This place has been so special to me. I’ve got a heart for every single guy in that locker room. I love them to death. I’d do anything for them. I lay it on the line for our program every day. And I say that without a doubt at all. So, yeah, I love being here. I want to be here. It’s been an absolute pleasure to take the field nine Saturdays this fall. Something I’ll never forget. Regardless of the outcome, it’s been very, very special for me and I want to continue to do that.”

Locke’s future is worth watching with Wisconsin set to hire a new offensive coordinator this offseason. That new hire will install a new system, which will likely be different from Phil Longo’s air raid. Locke was one of Longo’s initial transfer additions, transferring from another air raid system at Mississippi State.

The dynamic of a new coordinator and the team’s urgency after a 5-7 season will likely lead to a new signal-caller under center to begin 2025. While that appears likely, it remains challenging to predict player movement in the current age of the sport.

Given Locke’s sentiment after the Badger’ season-ending loss, he may still stick around and compete for the job amid the inevitable offseason changes.

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Luke Fickell explains message to fan base after Wisconsin’s first losing season in 23 years

Luke Fickell explains message to fans after Wisconsin’s first losing season in 23 years

This story was updated to add new information.

Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell explained his message to the Badgers’ fan base after Friday’s 24-7 loss to Minnesota completed the program’s first losing season since 2001.

“Just like I told the players, those that stay will be a champion,” Fickell said postgame when speaking with the assembled media. “You’ve got to have people that believe in you. I know it’s hard. Having faith in things you can’t see. Right now, I’m sure they can’t see it either, and that’s the tough part.”

Related: Takeaways from Wisconsin’s loss to Minnesota, disastrous finish to 2024 season

His comments follow the Badgers’ largely noncompetitive loss to the rival Golden Gophers. Wisconsin closed the 2024 season on a five-game losing streak, highlighted by blowout losses to rivals Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota. The program is 12-13 in Fickell’s two-year tenure.

Fickell’s sentiment will be tested as program changes inevitably follow this offseason. Wisconsin fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo with weeks remaining in the season. It needs an important hire this offseason, as well as a personnel group that fits the new scheme. Overall, the 2025 Badgers are assured of looking different than the team that closed the 2024 season, both on the sideline and on the field.

With likely no bowl game, attention turns to the winter transfer window which opens on Dec. 9. Fickell and his staff need to reshape the roster entering a critical 2025 season.

Talent retention will be an important measure of program health. Fickell’s thought that “those who stay will be a champion” can only apply if the team’s top contributors do, in fact, stick around. This is one of the many main storylines to watch as the offseason begins.

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RECAP: Wisconsin falls to Minnesota 24-7, clinches first losing season in 23 years

RECAP: Wisconsin falls to Minnesota 24-7, clinches first losing season in 23 years

This story was updated to add new information.

The worst Wisconsin football season in 23 years came to a crashing end on Friday afternoon.

The Badgers fell to the rival Minnesota Golden Gophers 24-7. The loss dropped the team to 5-7 to officially close its season. That result clinches the program’s first losing campaign since 2001.

The loss followed a similar script to many of the Badgers’ recent defeats. The team struggled to move forward on offense, totaling just 48 yards on its first eight drives of the contest. Minnesota dominated in every facet. It out-gained Wisconsin 374-166, held the ball for 33:51 and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half.

Wisconsin QB Braedyn Locke went 15-of-23 passing for 130 yards and a touchdown in the loss. He and the Badgers’ offense showed a glimpse of life in the third quarter, one time threatening to narrow the deficit to one score. But their momentum was quickly extinguished by a strong Minnesota defensive unit, and by yet another Nathanial Vakos missed field goal.

The story of Minnesota’s all-around victory is accurately told by the scoreboard, and by the final stat sheet.

The loss means that Luke Fickell and the Badgers finish the season on a five-game losing skid after a 5-2 start. The final 5-7 record is, again, the program’s first losing season since 2001. Its 22-year bowl streak, which was the was third-longest in the nation behind only Georgia (28 years) and Oklahoma (26), will likely end barring a large collection of significant upsets during Saturday’s schedule.

Minnesota evens the all-time series at 63-63-8 with the victory. It closes a successful regular season for P.J. Fleck’s team against one of the nation’s toughest schedules.

The win is an important one for Minnesota as it jockeys for position in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, it is a historic one for the Wisconsin football program. It now turns focus to 2025 in an unprecedented position.

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Wisconsin vs. Minnesota injury report: Badgers getting star player back for Week 14 rivalry matchup

All the latest updates and news on Wisconsin’s injury report ahead of a Week 14 game vs. Minnesota.

The Wisconsin Badgers (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) and Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) are less than 90 minutes from kickoff for their Week 14 rivalry matchup.

Kickoff at Camp Randall Stadium is scheduled for noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

Related: Badgers Wire staff predictions for Wisconsin vs. Minnesota

Wisconsin released its final injury report leading up to the contest. Of note, the Badgers are getting star safety Hunter Wohler back for the first time in two weeks. Leading wide receiver Will Pauling is also listed as ‘questionable’ after missing the team’s Week 13 game at Nebraska.

Here is the full injury report from both Wisconsin and Minnesota entering the important rivalry matchup. Several notable Badger starters are listed as ‘questionable.’

Wisconsin injury report

OUT: RB Chez Mellusi, QB Tyler Van Dyke, WR Joseph Griffin Jr., S Kamo’i Latu, QB Cole LaCrue, S Owen Arnett, LB Tamer Dalloul, OT Evan Brown, OL Leyton Nelson, TE Rob Booker

QUESTIONABLE: LB Jake Chaney, WR Will Pauling, LB Jaheim Thomas, TE Tucker Ashcraft, DL James Thompson Jr., DL Elijah Hills

Minnesota injury report

OUT: DB Aidan Gousby, DB Darius Green, TE Pierce Walsh

QUESTIONABLE: OL Tyler Cooper

Wisconsin S Hunter Wohler injury update

Wohler is off the injury report after missing the Badgers’ Week 13 game with an injury.

Wisconsin WR Will Pauling injury update

Pauling is ‘questionable’ after missing last week’s contest. He left the Badgers’ Week 12 game against Oregon with a lower-body injury.

Wisconsin DL James Thompson Jr. injury update

James Thompson Jr. made his season debut during Wisconsin’s Week 13 loss to Nebraska. He is ‘questionable’ vs. Minnesota though is expected to return to the field.

Wisconsin LB Jake Chaney injury update

Jake Chaney left the Badgers’ Week 13 game vs. Nebraska with an injury. He’s ‘questionable’ against the Gophers.

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Wisconsin football schedule: Are the Badgers playing today? 

Wisconsin football schedule: Are the Badgers playing today? 

Will the Wisconsin Badgers (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) be on the field today in Week 14 of the college football season?

Following a disastrous 44-25 Week 13 loss to Nebraska, the Badgers are back on the field on Friday for a season-closing rivalry matchup against Minnesota (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten).

Wisconsin and Minnesota will kick off at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on CBS. It is one of two Big Ten games on the Black Friday schedule, leading into a primetime matchup between Iowa and Nebraska.

The Badgers are looking for a win to cross the threshold for bowl eligibility to extend its bowl streak to 23 seasons. They are also looking to extend their narrow all-time advantage in the historic rivalry matchup.

Wisconsin’s 2024 season will continue with a win. A loss, and the campaign comes to a close as arguably the program’s worst since 2001.

Wisconsin 2024 football schedule

  • Aug. 30: vs. Western Michigan (W, 28-14)
  • Sept. 7: vs. South Dakota (W, 27-13)
  • Sept. 14: vs. Alabama (L, 42-10)
  • Bye Week
  • Sept. 28: at USC (L, 38-21)
  • Oct. 5: vs. Purdue (W, 52-6)
  • Oct. 12: at Rutgers (W, 42-7)
  • Oct. 19: at Northwestern (W, 23-3)
  • Oct. 26: vs. Penn State (L, 28-13)
  • Nov. 2 at Iowa (L, 42-10)
  • Bye Week
  • Nov. 16 vs. Oregon (L, 16-13)
  • Nov. 23 at Nebraska (L, 44-25)
  • Nov. 30 vs. Minnesota
  • Record: 5-6 (3-5 Big Ten)

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Luke Fickell’s Badgers have yet to beat a team as good as the 2024 Minnesota Golden Gophers

Luke Fickell’s Badgers have yet to beat a team as good as the 2024 Minnesota Golden Gophers

The following statistic tells an accurate story for those in search of a glimpse at Wisconsin football’s current state of affairs under head coach Luke Fickell: the Badgers are 0-and-9 against teams ranked higher than No. 50 in ESPN FPI since the start of 2023.

Looking a year-end FPI numbers from 2023 and the updated rankings entering the final week of 2024, the Badgers’ best win was against Rutgers (No. 50) last season. Otherwise, Wisconsin has lost every game against a team inside FPI’s top 50.

Those losses include the following:

Fickell was hired to not only win those matchups but elevate the Badgers toward the top tier of the Big Ten. Obviously, that has yet to come to fruition.

That reality sets up the Badgers’ upcoming rivalry matchup against Minnesota. The Gophers enter 6-5 on the season and 4-4 in Big Ten play. Their quality is better than the record suggests — FPI currently ranks the team No. 33 in the nation.

That ranking can be attributed to narrow losses to North Carolina, Michigan and top-ranked Penn State, plus statement wins over USC and Illinois. The Gophers are a few bounces of the football away from 9-2 and long-shot College Football Playoff contention.

Of note, Wisconsin has not beaten a team close to the quality of the 2024 Gophers, according to FPI, during the Fickell era. That reality creates an opportunity for a defining victory, but it also paints a negative light on the team’s chances. That 0-for-9 mark against top-50 teams is a significant trend that doesn’t come as some large fluke.

The Badgers need a win to clinch bowl eligibility for the 23rd consecutive season. Maybe most importantly, they need a win to show some life under the no-longer-new regime.

Wisconsin and Minnesota will kick off at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on Friday afternoon.

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These 24 players will be honored during Wisconsin’s Senior Day festivities before Minnesota game

These 24 players will be honored during Wisconsin’s Senior Day festivities before Minnesota game

Wisconsin football announced its 2024 Senior Day honorees on Tuesday.

Those 24 honorees will be WR Haakon Anderson, LB Jake Chaney, CB R.J. Delancy III, CB Nyzier Fourqurean, WR Bryson Green, CB Ricardo Hallman, DL Elijah Hills, OG Joe Huber, OL Kerry Kodanko, CB Max Lofy, DL Cade McDonald, LS Duncan McKinley, K Gavin Meyers, WR Alex Moeller, OT Jack Nelson, TE Riley Nowakowski, LS Cayson Pfeiffer, OLB John Pius, ILB Jaheim Thomas, DL James Thompson Jr., K Nate Van Zelst, RB Tawee Walker, S Hunter Wohler and S Preston Zachman.

Related: Where Wisconsin vs. Minnesota ranks among oldest, most-played rivalries in college football

That group of seniors will be honored on Friday morning before the Badgers close their regular season against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

One noteworthy inclusion is CB Ricardo Hallman, a redshirt junior with eligibility remaining. The consensus is he will enter the 2025 NFL draft after the season concludes.

Other players listed who still have eligibility remaining are Max Lofy, James Thompson Jr., Preston Zachman and Cade McDonald. They each could have a chance to return for another season, either at Wisconsin or elsewhere.

Some notable players not listed are DL Ben Barten, OLB Leon Lowery, C Jake Renfro and QB Tyler Van Dyke. All four are seniors but have eligibility remaining. Their omission does not guarantee anything, but could point toward each returning to the program in 2025.

Neither running back Chez Mellusi nor safety Kamo’i Latu are listed. Both players have been listed as ‘out’ for the majority of the season to date. Mellusi left the program in early-October.

Wisconsin and Minnesota will kick off at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on Friday after the Senior Day festivities have concluded. It will then be worth monitoring the decisions of those upperclassmen who still have eligibility remaining.

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Wisconsin football plummets in ESPN FPI and SP+ after loss to Nebraska

Wisconsin football plummets in ESPN FPI and SP+ after loss to Nebraska

Wisconsin’s season continued to dive in the wrong direction on Saturday, the latest result a 44-25 loss to rival Nebraska.

The Badgers are now 5-6 on the season and 3-5 in Big Ten play. They stood at 5-2 and 3-1, respectively, just four weeks ago. What followed was a home loss to Penn State, a blowout loss to Iowa, a narrow defeat to top-ranked Oregon and Saturday’s historic loss to Nebraska. That four-game stretch has changed the 2024 season, and is beginning to change the overall sentiment surrounding Luke Fickell and the program.

Related: Biggest takeaways from Wisconsin’s 44-25 loss to Nebraska

Part of that sentiment is seen in ESPN FPI and SP+’s latest updates.

Wisconsin entered the Nebraska game ranked No. 34 in FPI. The loss dropped the team down to No. 41. FPI now projects the Badgers’ final record at 5.5 – 6.5 and gives it just a 51% chance to defeat Minnesota in Week 14 and make a bowl game.

SP+ is even less confident in the team’s quality. The Nebraska loss dropped Wisconsin from No. 50 to No. 59 in the metric. It is now ranked as the No. 13 team in the Big Ten, ahead of only Rutgers, Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern and Purdue.

Having a coin-flip Week 14 game to reach bowl eligibility and being ranked in the class of Rutgers and Maryland is far below the program’s typical standard. It’s also far below the expectation set by both Chris McIntosh and Luke Fickell when the latter was hired in 2022.

A win over Minnesota to extend the program’s bowl streak to 23 games would be an important step in the right direction. Otherwise, the program’s rapid fall from national relevance will only continue.

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