REPLAY: Wisconsin defeats Minnesota, 28-14, to reclaim Paul Bunyan's Axe, score, game highlights

MINNEAPOLIS - The Wisconsin Badgers football team reclaimed Paul Bunyan's Axe and ended its two-game losing skid against Minnesota in the series as Braelon Allen led the Badgers to a 28-14 win over the Gophers on Saturday in the regular-season finale.

Wisconsin improved to 7-5 with a bowl game coming up next month. Minnesota fell to 5-7.

Here's how the game unfolded in reverse chronological order.

Wisconsin vs. Minnesota score

Wisconsin defeats Minnesota, reclaims Paul Bunyan's Axe

The Axe is back with the Badgers.

Wisconsin's defense pitches a shutout in the second half on way to a Badgers 28-14 victory over Minnesota.

The Badgers have won two straight after a previous three-game losing streak and enter their bowl game with some momentum.

Ricardo Hallman adds to Big Ten lead in interceptions

Badgers cornerback Ricardo Hallman entered the week tied for the Big Ten lead with five interception. He picked up his sixth pick with 4:09 left in the game on a ball Athan Kaliakmanis threw while under pressure from Jeff Pietrowski.

Jordan Turner forces fumble; Maema Njonmeta recovers

The only thing missing for Wisconsin’s play through three-plus quarters was a turnover. The Badgers took care of that with 8:02 remaining when linebacker Jordan Turner stripped receiver Daniel Jackson after a 30-yard game. Linebacker Maema Njongmeta recovered for Wisconsin at the Badgers 39.

The turnover marked the fifth straight Minnesota possession that ended without a score. The Gophers have 136 total yards on 25 plays in the second half.

This time UW benefits from pass interference call

Chimere Dike appeared to hurt his right knee after making a catch late in the first half. The senior, however, turned out to be just fine, something he showed by getting behind Gophers DB Za’Quan Bryan.

Dike’s positioning on the play led to a pass interference call on Bryan that aided a 10-play 86-yard drive midway late in the third quarter. The drive resulted in the Badgers fourth touchdown of the day.

Tanner Mordecai hit tight end Riley Nowakowski for a 5-yard catch with 10 seconds left. Nathanial Vakos’ extra point pushed the Badgers lead to 28-14 with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Badgers converted two third downs on the drive and are 5 for 9 in that category for the game.

Score: Wisconsin 28, Minnesota 14, 10 seconds third quarter.

Braelon Allen busts big play on TD drive

Wisconsin running backs haven’t had success against the Gophers the past couple years. Braelon Allen, however, is doing just fine today.

The junior running back has 17 carries for 141 yards. Fifty-four of those yards came on the Badgers’ second drive of the second half.

He used good patience at the line and then broke a couple of tackles on the way to a 50-yard run that gave UW a first and goal from the 4.

The next play he completed the drive to give Wisconsin its first lead of the day.

Score: Wisconsin 21, Minnesota 14, 9:24 third quarter.

Badgers winning statistical battle at the half

The halftime stats show that Wisconsin has overcome its slow start.

StatsWis. Minn.

Total Yds 228 150

Pass Yds 110 97

Rush Yds 118 53

Penalties 3-44 0-0

1st Downs 12 11

3rd Downs 3-6 3-7

4th Downs 0-0 0-0

Total Plays 35 33

Avg Yds/Play 6.5 4.5

Avg Yds/Completion 11 12.1

Avg Yds/Rush 6.6 2.7

Sack-Adj Rush Yd(Avg) 118 (6.6) 61 (3.2)

Red Zone 2-2 2-2

Time of Poss 12:51 17:09

Turnovers (Def Pts Off) 1 (0) 0 (0)

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0

Sacks (Def Yds) 1 (8) 0 (0)

TFL (Def Yds) 2 (10) 1 (2)

Tanner Mordecai hits on all cylinders on TD drive

After falling behind, 14-7, Wisconsin needed just four plays to chew up 75 yards. Tanner Mordecai went 4 for 4 on the possession with two of the passes going for first downs before the senior hit Will Pauling for an 11-yard TD in the back corner of the end zone with 2:38 left in the half.

With the drive Mordecai is completing eight of 10 passes for 89 yards.

Score: Wisconsin 14, Minnesota 14, 2:38 second quarter.

Pass interference calls aid Gophers' TD drive

Minnesota has scored twice so far. Both drives were helped by pass interference calls.

The latest flags were on Nyzier Fourqurean and Hunter Wohler. The penalties moved the ball 30 yards on what was an 11-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Athan Kaliakmanis to Daniel Jackson with 4:30 left in the half.

Fourqurean was also flagged for pass interference on a third down play on the first possession.

Score: Minnesota 14, Wisconsin 7, 4:30 second quarter.

Braelon Allen caps run-heavy drive with TD run

The Badgers leaned on the running of Braelon Allen and scrambling of Tanner Mordecai to drive 86 yards in 11 plays and score their first touchdown.

Allen’s 5-yard run with 13:04 left in the first half got UW on the board and Nathanial Vakos’ extra point tied the contest.

Here are Allen’s numbers on the drive: seven carries, 47 yards. That included a 21-yard gain on a second-and-5 play that gave Wisconsin a first down at the Minnesota 18.

Mordecai scrambled twice for 34 yards. He had gains of 19 and 15 yards in addition to an 8-yard completion to Will Pauling on a third and 5.

Score: Wisconsin 7, Minnesota 7, 13:04 second quarter.

Gophers gash Wisconsin defense for big plays on opening drive

So much for a fast start by the Badgers. Minnesota needed just six plays to move 72 yards and score the game’s first touchdown, a 1-yard run by Jordan Nubin.

The Gophers opened the possession with a 19-yard run by Nubin and later took advantage of a pass interference call on Nyzier Fourqurean and a 30-yard pass from Athan Kaliakmanis to Nubin to set up first and goal from the 4.

The drive took 2 minutes 34 seconds off the clock.

Score: Minnesota 7, Wisconsin 0, 12:21 first quarter

Wisconsin vs. Minnesota football game time

The Badgers and Gophers kick off their regular season finale at 2:30 p.m.

What channel is Wisconsin football game on today vs. Minnesota?

• TV: FS1

• Stream: You can stream the game on the Fox Sports App through your television or streaming carrier. FUBOTV also offers a free trial.

How to watch: What channel is Wisconsin vs. Minnesota? Time, TV, streaming, odds for Badgers' game against Golden Gophers.

Hunter Wohler set to return to action

Junior safety Hunter Wohler, who missed the second half of the win over Nebraska last week due to an apparent concussion, was not listed on the availability report. He warmed up and appears ready to play today.

We’ll have to wait until kickoff for the status of two other starters. Receivers Will Pauling and Bryson Green are listed as questionable. Both were in uniform and participated in warmups.

Here is the complete availibility report.

Questionable

WR Will Pauling

WR Bryson Green

TE Aaron Witt

Out

RB Chez Mellusi

DB Michael Mack

DB Max Lofy

RB Jackson Acker

LB Tatum Grass

WR Chris Brooks

TE Jack Pugh

Minnesota vs. Wisconsin series history

The winner of the game today will take the lead in the all-time series, which stands at 62-62-8 entering play today. The Gophers own a 27-38-2 mark in Minneapolis and with a victory would have its first three-game winning streak in the rivalry since winning a fourth straight in the series in 1987.

That said, Wisconsin owns an 18-5 mark against the Gophers since 2000.

You may know about Paul Bunyan’s Axe, but do you know about the Slab of Bacon?

The Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry has become known as the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. That trophy was introduced into the rivalry in 1948 when, according to the UW athletic department, the National ‘W’ Club presented Minnesota with an axe used by Paul Bunyan, a mythical giant of lumber camps throughout the Midwest.

However, from 1930-43 the teams played for the Slab of Bacon. It was a piece of black walnut wood with a football carved into it that was topped with an M or W. The winner of the game would hang the trophy so that their school’s letter would show.

The trophy was lost following the 1943 game. It was found in a storage area at Camp Randall Stadium and currently hangs in the Wisconsin football offices. Gopher fans probably take offense to this given Minnesota won 11 of the 14 games the Slab was in play.

Wisconsin vs. Minnesota predictions by Journal Sentinel reporters

Jeff Potrykus: Wisconsin 17, Minnesota 10

Mark Stewart: Wisconsin 24, Minnesota 21

JR Radcliffe: Minnesota 20, Wisconsin 16

Take a closer look at their reasoning for the picks.

BOWL SEASON: Which bowl game will Wisconsin play? Many experts zero in on one in particular.

Wisconsin 2023 football schedule

Big Ten standings

Big Ten West Division

• Iowa (7-2 Big Ten, 10-2)*

• Northwestern (4-4, 6-5)

• Wisconsin (4-4, 6-5)

• Minnesota (3-5, 5-6)

• Illinois (3-6, 5-7)

• Nebraska (3-6, 5-7)

• Purdue (2-6, 3-8)

Big Ten East Division

• Michigan (8-0, 11-0)

• Ohio State (8-0, 11-0)

• Penn State (7-2, 10-2)

• Maryland (3-5, 6-5)

• Rutgers (3-5, 6-5)

• Michigan State (2-7, 4-8)

• Indiana (1-7, 3-8)

*clinched division title

Big Ten football scores, schedule

It's rivalry week in the Big Ten. Penn State and Iowa kicked off the week with wins Friday. The rest of the league plays Saturday.

Friday

Penn State 42, Michigan State 0 (RECAP)

Iowa 13, Nebraska 10 (RECAP)

Saturday

Ohio State at Michigan, 11 a.m. (IN PROGRESS)

Indiana at Purdue, 11 a.m. (IN PROGRESS)

Maryland at Rutgers, 2:30 p.m.

Northwestern at Illinois, 2:30 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Badgers football vs Minnesota score, game updates, highlights