Wisconsin falls to Minnesota; Paul Bunyan's axe lost to Golden Gophers

MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 29: Daniel Jackson #9 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers rushes the ball in the second quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 29, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Im

Max Brosmer passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another to help Minnesota beat Wisconsin 24-7 on Friday.

Wide receiver Daniel Jackson had six receptions for 68 yards and a TD catch for the Gophers (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten), who took back possession of Paul Bunyan’s Axe.

Darius Taylor had 32 rushes for 134 yards for Minnesota.

Friday’s game was the 134th meeting between the teams. The rivalry is the oldest rivalry in the nation among Football Bowl Division schools.

RELATED: Check out the new and improved FOX Sports app

Brosmer completed 17 of 26 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed for a score.

Wisconsin (5-7, 3-6) lost five straight games to end the 2024 regular season. Wisconsin’s five-game losing streak is the team’s first five-game losing streak since 1991. The Badgers will wait to learn whether there are any potential bowl spots remaining for 5-7 teams.

MADISON, WI - NOVEMBER 29: Wisconsin Badgers running back Tawee Walker (3) tries to round the corner on a run durning a college football game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Wisconsin Badgers on November 29th, 2024 at Barry Alvarez field

The Badgers’ 22-season bowl appearance streak is the third-longest active streak for bowl berths among FBS teams.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

Wisconsin finished the regular season with a losing record for the first time in 22 seasons. The mark is the longest active winning streak among Power 4 teams. Oklahoma's streak stands at 18 seasons and Alabama at 17.

The Badgers concluded the 2022 season with a 5-7 record and a 3-4 mark in the Big Ten.

Jackson’s performance on Friday put the receiver in fourth place on Minnesota’s all-time receiving yards list with 2,685 yards. Jackson surpassed the 2,640-yard mark by Tutu Atwell, who played for the Gophers from 1994-97.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android

Wisconsin got its first score of the game late in the third quarter when Braedyn Locke threw a 15-yard TD pass to Vinny Anthony with 3:13 remaining.

Locke completed 15 of 32 passes for 130 yards, one TD and no interceptions for Wisconsin.

Wisconsin kicker Nathanial Vakos missed a 37-yard field-goal attempt early in the fourth quarter.

The takeaway

Minnesota: The Gophers offense looked confident with Brosmer at the helm. Besides rushing for a score, the quarterback executed big plays that put Minnesota in control. Bosmer threw a 37-yard pass to Jackson that led to a TD that pushed the Gophers to a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. Brosmer’s 15-yard TD pass to Jameson Geers pushed Minnesota’s lead to 21-0 with 8:03 left in the third.

Wisconsin: The Badgers offense was anemic and a bunch of boos rained down at Camp Randall Stadium towards the end of the second quarter. They had 43 total yards of offense (37 passing, 7 rushing) and ran 27 offensive plays in the first half.

Up next

WISCONSIN: Wisconsin waits to learn whether there are any potential bowl spots remaining for 5-7 teams.

MINNESOTA: Minnesota awaits its bowl destination.