Gophers, Badgers fight over sharp object
Two coaches who aren't fond of each other, in charge of players who feel the same way, competing for a sharp object.
Must be time for Minnesota to play Wisconsin.
The Golden Gophers and Badgers meet Saturday to renew the longest-running rivalry in major college football — this is meeting No. 118. Adding a subplot, the Big Ten rivals have become fierce foes on the recruiting trail.
There is clear tension between Minnesota coach Tim Brewster and Wisconsin's Bret Bielema, who has five Minnesotans on his team. The list includes receiver David Gilreath, who initially committed to the Gophers before choosing the Badgers.
Brewster beamed this week about defensive back Kim Royston, a Twin Cities native who transferred home after two seasons at Wisconsin. Big Ten rules prohibit him from being on scholarship at Minnesota, so he's paying his own way.
"What he's done to come here couldn't be any stronger statement about what it means to be a Gopher and how badly he wanted to be a Gopher,"
Brewster said.
Royston is ineligible to play this season but will play in 2009. He has been a valuable member of the scout teams this fall. On top of that, the Gophers have tapped him for inside information about the Badgers in advance of this week's battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe.
"Kim is going to be a great football player for us, and we couldn't be more proud of him deciding to come home,"
Brewster said, adding: "There's no reason to leave when you've got a great opportunity, a great university, and an up-and-coming football program right here in your backyard. So the message, I think, is really loud and clear."
