Wisconsin at Minnesota; Badgers' victory secures Paul Bunyan's axe
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 25: Braelon Allen #0 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates his run against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berdi
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 a trying first season under coach Luke Fickell.
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.
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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. The Gophers were also aiming to house the axe together with the pig — known as Floyd of Rosedale — for the first winter since 1990. That's the last year they beat both of their primary rivals, Iowa and Wisconsin.
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.