Gopher football fans were able to turn the tables on their counterparts from Wisconsin in more ways than one on Saturday night.
Following up on the convincing 23-13 win that knocked the Badgers out of the Big Ten championship game, thousands stormed the field at Huntington Bank Stadium as the Gopher players grabbed Paul Bunyan's Axe and began parading from one goalpost to the other.
Then came the announcement "Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please?"
But instead of a stern warning to leave the field or face the consequences, the loudspeakers blared House of Pain's "Jump Around," which Wisconsin fans have owned for years in Madison as an interlude into the fourth quarter.
The fans recognized the dig immediately, and the jumping began, with a scattering of Badger fans only able to stop and stare.
Some in red felt disrespected. After all, it's their song, as it had been their Axe for much of the past two decades.
"Act like you've been here before," snorted one fan after taking off her bright red stocking cap.
The response caught her off-guard.
"We haven't been here before!"
The Gopher student section, which filled in nicely by the end of the first quarter, was in full-throat all game long, singing in unison along with familiar rock music pumped over the loudspeakers.
They even showed off their own end-of-the-third-quarter performance, a raucous combination of "Do The Gopher, "The Dance Freeze," and "Zombie Nation."
None of that enthusiasm went unnoticed on the Gopher sideline.
"It was even better winning it at home, it was a lot louder winning it this time," said coach P-J Fleck, three years after first beating Wisconsin on the road.
"Being able to do it here, in front of our fans, definately means a lot," said quarterback Tanner Morgan. "Just thankful for being part of this team, part of this program, part of this state that cherishes playing in games like this, being able to play in this rivalry."
A rivalry that wasn't much of a contest since the Gophers won back-to-back years in 1993-94.
During that period, Wisconsin dominated and had a winning streak of 14 games.
The teams have now split the last four meetings, giving Wisconsin a 62-61-8 edge in a series that's been played every year--forget you, COVID--since 1907.
And now, the Gophers and their fans have to forget about what-if's... as in "what if they hadn't lost to Bowling Green or Illinois"... and look ahead to next month's bowl game selections.
Playing on New Year's Day appears a long shot, but the convincing win over a ranked team that hadn't lost in nearly two months... and preventing them from a Big Ten championship game appearance... all but eliminates unpleasant thoughts of playing whatever bowl game they have in Detroit.
