Takeaways: Defense dominates as Gophers keep Paul Bunyan’s Axe

A steady snowfall and swirling winds greeted the patrons at Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday afternoon, turning the 135th football meeting between the Gophers and Wisconsin into a scene inside a snow globe.

“It’s perfect weather for a football game,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said in a pregame radio interview.

Three hours and 15 minutes later, the result rang perfectly for Fleck and the Gophers. Minnesota beat Wisconsin 17-7, securing Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the second consecutive season and fourth time in the past five years in front of 46,038 fans. It also gave the Gophers a 64-63-8 lead all-time in the bitter border rivalry.

And most importantly for the present, the victory ended a November swoon for the Gophers, who had lost their previous two games and had surrendered more than 1,500 yards in three previous games in the month.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Gophers players raced to the west end zone where Goldy Gopher was waiting with Paul Bunyan’s Axe. A field-storming from the crowd of 46,038 quickly commenced.

A couple of minutes later, House of Pain’s “Jump Around” blared from the sound system as Gophers fans reveled in the juxtaposition of the Badgers’ end-of-third-quarter staple being played in Minneapolis.

“Our guys played their hearts out,” said Fleck, who turned 45 on Saturday. “The Axe stays in Minneapolis, and I’m proud to say that.”

“It was the whole defense as a collective,” Nestor said, deflecting the praise. “If you watch that play, [Maverick Baranowski] tipped that ball. If Mav doesn’t tip that ball, their guy catches it. So, that’s Mav’s pick. I owe him a steak dinner this week.”

Darius Taylor’s 49-yard touchdown run in the second quarter pushed the Gophers’ lead to 10-0 before Wisconsin got a 68-yard hookup from backup quarterback Hunter Simmons to Vinny Anthony II to the Gophers’ 5 with 2 minutes left in the second quarter. That led to a Badgers touchdown with 27 seconds left in the half, trimming the deficit to 10-7.

Taylor rushed 19 times for 100 yards. Lindsey completed 18 of 24 passes for 90 yards and the touchdown to Geers.

Minnesota’s defense played the best it has in more than a month, forcing three turnovers, one turnover on downs and five punts.

Gophers punter Tom Weston was key in this field-position battle, pinning Wisconsin at its 9-, 2- and 11-yard lines and booming a 48-yarder when Minnesota punted from its 9 early in the fourth quarter.

The Gophers finished their regular season with a 7-5 record and 5-4 mark in the Big Ten and will find out their bowl destination next Sunday. The loss dropped Wisconsin to 4-8 and 2-7 in conference play. The Badgers will miss a bowl game for the second consecutive season.

Minnesota also went 7-0 at home for the first time since 1967, the year they last won a share of the Big Ten title. “Huntington Bank Stadium is a very, very difficult place to play,” Fleck said, “and it’s because of our crowd, it’s because of our fans, our supporters, our student body. I can’t thank them enough.”

Wisconsin, trailing 10-7, reached the Minnesota 20 in the third quarter and faced third-and-7. Nestor, though, jumped an out route, intercepted Simmons’ pass and sprinted 68 yards to the Gophers’ 16. Three plays later, Lindsey hit Geers for a 13-yard TD and 17-7 Minnesota lead with 5:04 left in the third quarter.

John Nestor, Gophers

The senior cornerback and transfer from Iowa had his best game as a Gopher, with the two interceptions, a 68-yard return, one fumble recovery, and nine total tackles, including seven solo tackles and two tackles for loss. “It wasn’t me. It was this whole team,” Nestor told KFXN-FM in a postgame interview.

BOXSCORE: Gophers 17, Wisconsin 7

Big Ten standings

4-for-13 Wisconsin’s performance on third downs against the Gophers defense.

Bowl game, TBD

With their regular season complete, the Gophers await word on their bowl destination. They’ll find out next Sunday where they’ll be playing. Their most likely destinations are the Rate Bowl on Dec. 26 at Chase Field in Phoenix or the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27 at Yankee Stadium. Longer shots are the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30 in Nashville and the Las Vegas Bowl on Jan. 2.