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11/29 18:14 CST Minnesota keeps Paul Bunyan's Axe with a 17-7 win in the snow
over Wisconsin
Minnesota keeps Paul Bunyan's Axe with a 17-7 win in the snow over Wisconsin
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) --- Drake Lindsey threw a touchdown pass to Jameson Geers for
the only second-half score in snow-globe conditions, and John Nestor had two
interceptions and a fumble recovery for Minnesota in a 17-7 victory over
Wisconsin on Saturday to keep Paul Bunyan's Axe.
Darius Taylor had a 49-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter to get the
Gophers going, and their defense rebounded from a rough month to limit the
Badgers to one score for the second straight year in the 135th edition of the
most-played rivalry in major college football history.
Minnesota (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten) has won five of the last eight matchups with
Wisconsin (4-8, 2-7) after a 14-game losing streak that was the longest for
either side and now leads the series 64-63-8.
With snow whitening the field and wind whipping through the air all afternoon,
Lindsey completed 18 of 24 passes in a safe diet of screen plays and out routes
for 90 yards. The redshirt freshman nailed his most important throw on
third-and-7 from the 13 in the third quarter, floating a perfectly placed ball
over the line so his trusty senior tight end could secure a jumping catch in
traffic as he tumbled to the turf for a 10-point lead that might as well have
been double that on this wintry day for a Badgers offense that entered the game
with the second-fewest yards and points in the FBS.
The Gophers failed to capitalize on Nestor's first two takeaways. Brady
Denaburg, who missed both of his field goal tries in a 38-35 loss at
Northwestern last week including the game-tying attempt as time expired, had a
38-yard kick blocked in the first quarter four plays after Nestor fell on the
fumble from an errant snap that hit Vinny Anthony as he crossed on a jet motion.
The Gophers also went three-and-out with a 22-yard punt after Nestor's first
interception off a deflection by teammate Maverick Baranowski in the third
quarter. But the transfer cornerback from Iowa, who missed the last game due to
injury, delivered again on the very next drive just as the Badgers were
starting to find success in the passing game that eluded them all season.
Nestor darted in front of Trech Kekahuna for the pick and raced 68 yards before
getting tackled by quarterback Hunter Simmons, who played the whole second half
after true freshman Carter Smith started. Simmons went 12 for 19 for 162 yards
for the Badgers.
The takeaway Wisconsin: After finishing with their most losses since a 1-10 finish in 1990 in their first year under coach Barry Alvarez, the Badgers miss a second straight bowl season after making 22 in a row. Minnesota: By going 7-0 at Huntington Bank Stadium, the Gophers went unbeaten at home for the first time since 1967 when they tied for first in the 10-team Big Ten with Indiana and Purdue. Up next Wisconsin opens the 2026 season at Lambeau Field in Green Bay against Notre Dame before a Big Ten schedule that ought to be far more favorable with no Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon or Michigan. Minnesota awaits its bowl game invitation, with the Rate Bowl in Phoenix on Dec. 26 or the Pinstripe Bowl in New York on Dec. 27 as two of the most realistic possibilities. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football |
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