Minnesota’s defense leads the way in 24-7 win over Wisconsin

Paul Bunyan’s Ax returns to Minneapolis.

On Friday, the Minnesota Golden Gophers used a dominant defensive performance to defeat the Wisconsin Badgers and reclaim the axe. The loss for Wisconsin also likely ends a 22-year bowl streak and 22 straight winning seasons.

In the win, the Gophers defense only allowed Wisconsin 166 yards of total offense. The Badgers only managed 36 yards of total offense on 24 carries in the game.

Wisconsin quarterback Bradeyn Locke was also quiet throughout the afternoon, as he managed just 130 passing yards and completed 15 of 32 pass attempts.

Offensively, the Gophers had 374 yards on the way to their seventh win of the season, with a nearly 50-50 run-to-pass ratio. On the ground, Darius Taylor ran for 143 yards on 32 carries, an average of 4.5 yards per carry. The Gophers finished the game with 183 rushing yards as a team. Quarterback Max Brosmer was great in the win, completing 17 of 26 pass attempts for 191 yards and two touchdowns.

After two quick three-and-outs on their first two drives, the Gophers opened the scoring late in the first quarter Friday when Max Brosmer punched in from the goal line, capping a nine-play, 89-yard drive.

One drive later, after forcing Wisconsin’s fourth of seven straight punts to start the game, the Gophers scored two points when Daniel Jackson reached the end zone on a short 7-yard touchdown pass from Max Brosmer.

In the first half, the Gophers outscored Wisconsin in the yardage department 202 to 43 as the Badgers averaged just 1.6 yards per play.

After halftime, the Gophers defense picked up where it left off in the first half and forced another Wisconsin punt. The offense would then effectively put the game out of reach with an 11-play, 83-yard scoring drive that saw Jameson Geers reach the end zone for the second straight game with a 15-yard touchdown reception.

The Wisconsin offense got going five minutes later with an 11-play, 65-yard drive of its own, but it was the only time the Badgers put any points on the scoreboard.

Badgers kicker Nathaniel Vakos badly missed a 37-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, taking the wind out of Wisconsin’s sails as they were on the verge of a possible second straight drive and a chance to capitalize on it 11 point game to make.

In the final minutes of the game, Dragan Kesich, who had a series of 11 field goals in the third quarter, made the exclamation point for the Gophers’ victory with a 43-yard attempt.

With the win, the Golden Gophers’ 2024 regular season ended with an overall record of 7-5 and a record of 5-4 in conference play. PJ Fleck and his program now await their bowl goal.