Gophers defeat Wisconsin to hold Paul Bunyan's Axe for 4th time in 5 years
Gophers fans storm field after win over Badgers
The Minnesota Gophers once again took down the Wisconsin Badgers in the season finale on Saturday to win Paul Bunyan's Axe for the fourth time over the last five years.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Gophers once again took down the Wisconsin Badgers in the season finale on Saturday to win Paul Bunyan's Axe for the fourth time over the last five years.
What we know:
The Gophers scored a 17-7 win over the Badgers inside a snowy Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday evening.
On offense, Darius Taylor sprinted his way to 100 yards and a touchdown while Drake Lindsay was efficient under center, passing for 90 yards and a touchdown. Brady Denaburg put the first points of the night on the board midway through the second quarter, drilling a 33-yard field goal in blustery conditions.
But, it was defense that led the way for the Gophers, with star defensive back John Nestor putting on a show. On Wisconsin's first drive, Nestor jumped on a botched snap that bounced off a receiver in motion. Early in the third, Nestor picked off his first pass of the day, off a deflection. On the very next drive, Nestor jumped in front of another pass, returning it 68 yards and setting up a Gophers touchdown.
'That's special to me'
What they're saying:
"Our defense was flying around," Nestor said after the game. "Everybody does their own job and, you know, everyone doing their job at such a high level, wherever the plays may fall, that's where they fall. And you know, tonight, as a defense, I thought we played very exceptionally."
"As a united team, as a united front, go create it," Fleck added. "Because what we had in the past, that's not this team's moment memory. Create your own moment memory. And they did just that."
"Those are the moments that you live for when you play college football," explained linebacker Maverick Baranowski, "to win a rivalry game with your best friends, your brothers next to you, and then you get to have the community along with you as well. So that means the world to each and every one of us. And to get our seniors out on the right note, that's special for me, and I know it's special for every guy in our locker room."
P.J. Fleck reacts to win Gophers over Wisconsin
Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck reacted to winning the axe for the fourth time in five years, taking down the Badgers on Saturday.
The other side:
The Badgers scored their only points of the night off a 67-yard bomb from backup quarterback Hunter Simmons to Vinny Anthony that set Wisconsin up with first and goal at the Gophers' five-yard line late in the first half.
Three downs later, the Badgers were at the one-yard line for the fourth down. Starting quarterback Carter Smith, who was rotated back onto the field, took the snap and ran a bootleg to his right. With two Gophers bearing down, Smith threw a dart to the side of the endzone to fullback Jackson Acker. Dragging his toes on the turf, Acker was able to catch the football but was ruled out by the officials.
However, on review, the call was overturned, and the play was ruled a touchdown.
Big picture view:
The win on Saturday marks the fourth time the Gophers have defeated Wisconsin in the season finale in the past five years.
Before that, the Gophers had only won the axe once over the previous 17 years, including a 14-year winning streak for Wisconsin between 2004 and 2017.
With the victory, the Gophers also took the all-time series lead, holding a 64-63 edge in the rivalry that dates back to 1890.
What's next:
Minnesota finishes the regular season 7-5, and 5-4 in Big Ten play. The Gophers will learn their bowl destination after the conference championship games are played and the 12-team College Football Playoff is finalized.