The Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4) upset the No. 14-ranked Wisconsin Badgers (8-4) to reclaim Paul Bunyan’s Axe and deny the Badgers a trip to the Big Ten Championship.
The Gophers broke a 13-13 tie in the closing minutes of the third quarter thanks to a 27-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Morgan to Chris Autman-Bell, allowing Minnesota to take a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter. Matthew Trickett made a 36-yard field goal to extend their lead to 23-13 and the Gopher defense pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter to secure the team’s first win over Wisconsin at home since 2003 and their ever first at Huntington Bank Stadium.