MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Not only did the Gophers beat arch-rival Wisconsin 24-7 on the 44th birthday of head coch P.J. Fleck, bringing home Paul Bunyan's Axe, they also improved their postseason possibilities.
Finishing at 7-5, the Gophers know they won't be spending Christmas week in Detroit as they did last year when they snuck into the bowl scene despite a losing record.
Projections include another trip to Nashville for the Music City Bowl, a game the Gophers have played in three times before (with wins over Alabama and Arkansas).
That one kicks off on Dec. 30.
It's also a possibility the Gophers (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten) will head to Charlotte, N.C. and the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Jan. 3.
They're never played in that one.
It was all set up by Max Brosmer's two touchdown passes and a one-yard sneak for the Gophers' second straight win at Camp Randal Stadium, and third in their last four meetings with the Badgers.
After his usual post-game locker room body surf, Fleck was able to take in a verse of "Happy Birthday" from his victorious squad.
“We’ve got a good four-and-a-half hour bus ride with that axe, right in the aisle,” Fleck said. “We’ll pass it around and switch buses. We take the rivalry very seriously. We love that axe. We don’t take it for granted.”
Darius Taylor had 32 rushes for 134 yards for Minnesota, while Wide receiver Daniel Jackson had six receptions for 68 yards and a TD catch
Friday’s game was the 134th meeting between the teams. The rivalry is the oldest rivalry in the nation among Football Bowl Division schools.
Brosmer completed 17 of 26 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed for a score.
The Gophers held Wisconsin to 43 first-half yards of offense and 166 total yards of offense overall.
Fleck said he was pleased with the Gophers’ effort on defense.
“We tackled in the open space really well,” Fleck said. “We swarm tackled. I thought we created penetration in the back field in the run game. On the outside, I thought our guys stuck to them like glue.
“Their quarterback (Braedyn Locke) can sling it, but he’s 6-foot, 6-1. There are a lot of big people up front. Their offensive line is big. We’re big. And we felt if we could get really big, he was going to have to be really precise in man coverage.”
Wisconsin (5-7, 3-6) lost five straight games to end the 2024 regular season. Wisconsin’s five-game losing streak is the team’s first five-game losing streak since 1991. The Badgers will wait to learn whether there are any potential bowl spots remaining for 5-7 teams.
The Badgers’ 22-season bowl appearance streak is the third-longest active streak for bowl berths among FBS teams.
Wisconsin finished the regular season with a losing record for the first time in 22 seasons. The mark is the longest active winning streak among Power 4 teams. Oklahoma’s streak stands at 18 seasons and Alabama at 17.
The Badgers concluded the 2022 season with a 5-7 record and a 3-4 mark in the Big Ten.
Jackson’s performance on Friday put the receiver in fourth place on Minnesota’s all-time receiving yards list with 2,685 yards. Jackson surpassed the 2,640-yard mark by Tutu Atwell, who played for the Gophers from 1994-97.
Wisconsin got its first score of the game late in the third quarter when Locke threw a 15-yard TD pass to Vinny Anthony with 3:13 remaining.
Locke completed 15 of 32 passes for 130 yards, one TD and no interceptions for Wisconsin.
Wisconsin kicker Nathanial Vakos missed a 37-yard field-goal attempt early in the fourth quarter.