The Call: Everything to know ahead of Gophers vs. Wisconsin

Time: 2:30 p.m.

Where: Huntington Bank Stadium

TV/Radio: FS1, 100.3-FM

Line: Wisconsin by 1½ (38.5 over/under)

Two teams tracking in different directions meet in the regular-season finale with Paul Bunyan’s Axe at stake. The Gophers (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) have lost two consecutive games but will try to rebound by winning the Axe for the second year in a row. Wisconsin (4-7, 2-6) owns wins over previously ranked Washington and Illinois over the past three weeks and will try to finish its season by dropping Minnesota to .500.

Will the Gophers defense step up?

Minnesota’s defense has been battered in November, surrendering a combined 1,502 yards to Michigan State, Oregon and Northwestern. The Gophers aren’t facing a prolific offense — the Badgers average a Big Ten-low 13.4 points per game. But Wisconsin is coming off a game where it scored 27 points against Illinois and rushed for 209 yards.

In Saturday’s 38-35 loss to Northwestern, Lindsey gave his team a chance to win by completing 20 of 30 passes for 264 yards and four TDs and leading a late drive that ended with a missed 40-yard field-goal attempt as time expired. Lindsey and wideout Javon Tracy connected for 87 yards and three TDs on four receptions, and the QB found Malachi Coleman for a 52-yard gain.

Can the Gophers keep something in their trophy case?

The Gophers face neither Michigan nor Penn State this year, so the Little Brown Jug and Governors’ Victory Bell were not contested. Iowa retained Floyd of Rosedale with a 41-3 win, and now Minnesota will try to keep Paul Bunyan’s Axe. A win will give the Gophers possession of the Axe for the fourth time in five years and make coach P.J. Fleck 5-4 against the Badgers in his Gophers tenure.

Wisconsin RB Darrion Dupree vs. Gophers LB Maverick Baranowski

Dupree, a sophomore, made the most of his opportunity Saturday by rushing 17 times for 131 yards and two TDs, including an 84-yard TD run. The 5-10, 212-pounder will challenge Baranowski, the Gophers’ leading tackler who becomes even more important if Devon Williams misses a second game in a row.

Mahlman, a senior and Lakeville South graduate, moved from right tackle to left tackle because of a teammate’s injury and has been steady, earning a solid 74.2 pass-blocking rating from Pro Football Focus. He’ll likely see a lot of Smith, who leads the Big Ten with 10½ sacks.

20 | Score 20 points, and you’ll likely win this game. In each of the past eight meetings, the winning team has reached 20 points or more and the losing team has fallen short of 20.