David Stluka
- Box Score
28
WinnerWisconsinWIS7-5 , 5-4
14
MinnesotaUMN5-7 , 3-6
Winner
WisconsinWIS
7-5 , 5-4
28
Final
14
MinnesotaUMN
5-7 , 3-6
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WIS Wisconsin | 0 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| UMN Minnesota | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Game Recap: Football |
Badgers take Paul Bunyan's Axe back to Madison
MINNEAPOLIS — Braelon Allen rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns to carry Wisconsin past rival Minnesota 28-14 on Saturday, giving the Badgers possession of Paul Bunyan's Axe after a two-year absence.
Tanner Mordecai threw for scores to Will Pauling and Riley Nowakowski and had a career-high 69 yards rushing on nine scrambles to help Wisconsin (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten) finish on an upswing in head coach Luke Fickell's first season at the helm and first victory in the historic Border Battle rivalry.
Hunter Wohler had 12 tackles for the blitz-heavy Badgers, who raced to the west end zone to get their hands on the hardware for the oldest rivalry in major college football. The Gophers haven't had the axe in their trophy case for three straight years since they won four in a row from 1984-87.
Jordan Nubin rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown for Minnesota (5-7, 3-6), which failed to secure bowl eligibility but remained alive for a postseason game with a nationwide shortage of six-win teams.
Allen, who returned from a leg injury earlier than expected last week with 22 carries and two touchdowns including the overtime winner to beat Nebraska, didn't look banged up at all. He broke three tackles on a 50-yard rumble in the third quarter and followed with a 5-yard touchdown run on the next play to give the Badgers their first lead.
Wisconsin's game with 412 total yards on a balance of between-the-tackles power running plays and field-stretching passes was a blueprint for future success in the Big Ten once the high-octane West Coast teams arrive and the divisions disappear.
Minnesota started their third drive at midfield late in the first quarter but went three-and-out with a punt from the Wisconsin 43. The Badgers then went 86 yards in 11 plays to tie the game. Late in the second quarter, the Gophers called an up-the-middle run on third-and-5 from their 45 that was stuffed for no gain with 1:17 left before halftime.
Wisconsin now awaits Bowl Selection Sunday on Dec. 3 to see where the Badgers are heading in the post season.
The AP contributed to this article.
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Team Statistics
| Game Stats | WIS | UMN |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 412 | 286 |
| Pass Yards | 145 | 167 |
| Rushing Yards | 267 | 119 |
| Penalty Yards | 3-45 | 3-30 |
| 1st Downs | 21 | 17 |
| 3rd Downs | 7-14 | 5-13 |
| 4th Downs | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| TOP | 30:25 | 29:35 |
| Scoring Play | Visiting Team Score | Home Team Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | |||
|
12:21 - UMN - Nubin,Jordan 1 yd run (Kesich,Dragan kick), 6 plays, 72 yards, TOP 02:34 | 0 | 7 | |
| 2nd Quarter | |||
|
13:04 - WIS - Allen,Braelon 5 yd run (Vakos,Nathanial kick), 11 plays, 86 yards, TOP 05:16 | 7 | 7 | |
|
04:30 - UMN - Jackson,Daniel 7 yd pass from Kaliakmanis,Athan (Kesich,Dragan kick) 11 plays, 71 yards, TOP 05:36 | 7 | 14 | |
|
02:38 - WIS - Pauling,Will 11 yd pass from Mordecai,Tanner (Vakos,Nathanial kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:52 | 14 | 14 | |
| 3rd Quarter | |||
|
09:24 - WIS - Allen,Braelon 4 yd run (Vakos,Nathanial kick), 2 plays, 54 yards, TOP 00:25 | 21 | 14 | |
|
00:10 - WIS - Nowakowski,Riley 5 yd pass from Mordecai,Tanner (Vakos,Nathanial kick) 10 plays, 86 yards, TOP 04:55 | 28 | 14 | |
Total Yards
WIS
412
UMN
286
Turnovers
WIS
1
UMN
2
First Downs
WIS
21
UMN
17
Total Possession
WIS
30:25
UMN
29:35
Game Leaders
#8 Mordecai,Tanner
-
- CMP
- 14
-
- TD
- 2
-
- YDS
- 145
-
- INT
- 1
#0 Allen,Braelon
-
- Avg
- 6.3
-
- TD
- 2
-
- YDS
- 165
-
- GAIN
- 168
#8 Mordecai,Tanner
-
- Avg
- 7.7
-
- TD
- 0
-
- YDS
- 69
-
- GAIN
- 69
#25 Yacamelli,Cade
-
- Avg
- 3.7
-
- TD
- 0
-
- YDS
- 33
-
- GAIN
- 33
#13 Dike,Chimere
-
- No
- 2
-
- TD
- 0
-
- YDS
- 46
-
- Long
- 35
#87 Rucci,Hayden
-
- No
- 2
-
- TD
- 0
-
- YDS
- 32
-
- Long
- 25
#0 Allen,Braelon
-
- No
- 3
-
- TD
- 0
-
- YDS
- 27
-
- Long
- 24
#24 Wohler,Hunter
-
- Tackles
- 12
-
- TFL
- 0.0
-
- Sacks
- 0.0
-
- YDS
- 0
#10 Fourqurean,Nyzier
-
- Tackles
- 7
-
- TFL
- 1.0
-
- Sacks
- 1.0
-
- YDS
- 5
#36 Chaney,Jake
-
- Tackles
- 6
-
- TFL
- 0.0
-
- Sacks
- 0.0
-
- YDS
- 0
Receiving Yards
#13
Dike,Chimere
Dike,Chimere
46
Rucci,Hayden
32
Allen,Braelon
27
Pauling,Will
19
Passing Yards
#8
Mordecai,Tanner
Mordecai,Tanner
145
Rushing Yards
#0
Allen,Braelon
Allen,Braelon
165
Mordecai,Tanner
69
Yacamelli,Cade
33
Tackles
#24
Wohler,Hunter
Wohler,Hunter
12
Fourqurean,Nyzier
7
Chaney,Jake
6
Turner,Jordan
5
Players Mentioned
-
#0 Braelon Allen
- RB
- 6' 2"
- Junior
-
#37 Riley Nowakowski
- TE
- 6' 1"
- Redshirt Junior
-
#24 Hunter Wohler
- S
- 6' 2"
- Junior
-
#8 Tanner Mordecai
- QB
- 6' 2"
- Redshirt Senior
-
#6 Will Pauling
- WR
- 5' 10"
- Redshirt Sophom*ore
Players Mentioned
-
#0 Braelon Allen
- 6' 2"
- Junior
- RB
-
#37 Riley Nowakowski
- 6' 1"
- Redshirt Junior
- TE
-
#24 Hunter Wohler
- 6' 2"
- Junior
- S
-
#8 Tanner Mordecai
- 6' 2"
- Redshirt Senior
- QB
-
#6 Will Pauling
- 5' 10"
- Redshirt Sophom*ore
- WR
