The Wisconsin Badgers’ (4-8, 2-7) offensive woes were on full display in their 17-7 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-5, 5-4) Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium. Minnesota retained the coveted Paul Bunyan’s Axe with the win, their second straight over Wisconsin and fourth in the last five seasons.
The Badgers end their season failing to gain bowl game eligibility for the second straight year under Fickell and posting a losing record in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992.
The Badgers mustered just seven points against a Minnesota defense that allowed 38 points against Northwestern last week, a testament to the chaos surrounding the quarterback position that has defined the season for Fickell and Wisconsin.
The conditions on the field defined the first quarter, as both teams struggled to sustain drives amidst the snowfall.
Minnesota started the game with possession, breaking into Wisconsin territory with freshman quarterback Drake Lindlsy leading the attack through the air. The Badgers recovered quickly however, containing junior running back Darius Taylor and forcing a pass attempt on third-and-8, which resulted in a Lindsly incompletion and a Minnesota punt.
Wisconsin looked to establish the run on their first drive, using both sophomore running back Darrion Dupree and true freshman quarterback Carter Smith on the ground. But a botched snap brought the drive to a screeching halt five plays in. Smith called for the snap as senior wide receiver Vinny Anthony II motioned across the formation, resulting in the snap bouncing right off Anthony. Minnesota defensive back John Nestor recovered the fumble, giving the Gophers prime field position at the Wisconsin 22-yard line.
Minnesota failed to capitalize on the opportunity, trotting out their field goal unit for a 38-yard attempt after only gaining two yards on the drive. Badger defensive lineman Ben Barton blocked the field goal to keep the game scoreless. It was Barton’s second blocked kick of the season, the first coming against Washington in Week 11.
The Gophers forced Wisconsin into a three-and-out on the ensuing drive, with the Badgers passing game practically non-existent. Smith only attempted one pass in the first quarter — a 3-yard completion to senior tight end Lance Mason.
Minnesota drove down the field with a well-orchestrated mixture of pass and run plays, putting themselves into third and manageable situations that resulted in first downs thanks to the gritty efforts of Taylor. The Gophers ended the first quarter on the Wisconsin 37-yard line after a third-and-2 conversion from running back Fame Ijeboi.
With the Gophers in Wisconsin territory, the Badger defense once again rose to the occasion. On the first play of the second quarter, Wisconsin linebacker Christian Alligero sacked Lindlsy for a loss of four. Back-to-back two-yard runs from Taylor forced Minnesota to punt. Punter Tom Weston pinned Wisconsin at their own two yard-line.
After another Badger three-and-out, freshman punter Sean West took the fourth down snap from the end zone. His punt didn’t help the Badgers’ cause, going just 30 yards and once again giving the Gophers possession in Wisconsin territory.
Wisconsin’s defense held strong — only giving up 20 yards in seven plays — but the Gophers connected on a 33-yard field goal to go up 3-0 with 6:32 remaining in the half.
Wisconsin again couldn’t get their offense going, with Minnesota forcing Smith to beat them through the air and Dupree having minimal success on the ground.
Another botched punt from West — this time only getting the ball in the air for 11-yards before going out of bounds — put Minnesota at midfield.
Minnesota took advantage of a worn-out Badger defense, as Taylor broke through for a 49-yard touchdown on third-and-4, going up 10-0 on Wisconsin at the 2:45 mark.
Needing a spark for his offense, Fickell put quarterback Hunter Simmons in for Smith at the 2:45 mark. Fickell has used Simmons in these two-minute situations before, like when Simmons entered on the last drive of the first half against Illinois.
Simmons answered the call immediately, hitting Anthony II in stride for a 67-yard pass on third-and-7 that put the Badgers in business, five yards out from the Minnesota end zone.
Even with the fresh set of downs and only needing five yards for the touchdown, it took everything from the Wisconsin offense to score. Smith re-entered as quarterback, as his mobility has proven useful in goal line situations this season.
After three plays, Wisconsin was on the 1-yard line. Fickell kept the offense on the snow-covered field for fourth down. With momentum hanging in the balance, Smith was forced out of the pocket, rolled to his right and threw a bullet to senior tight end Jackson Acker, who despite being tightly covered, came down with the ball.
Initially ruled incomplete on the field, a lengthy review concluded that Acker managed to get a foot down in bounds and maintained possession going to the ground, a remarkable catch that brought the game to 10-7 going into halftime.
“We wanted to be aggressive, you know, I felt like the energy and momentum going into halftime was going to be really, really key.” Fickell said when questioned on the decision to go for it on fourth down rather than kick a field goal.
Wisconsin came out of the locker room with possession and the chance to either tie the game or take the lead. Fickell elected to play Simmons — not Smith — at quarterback in the second half.
“It’s nothing against Carter [Smith], it’s just the way that [the Minnesota defense] were playing and we thought that going into halftime and coming back out that, it gave us the chance to loosen things up,” Fickell said postgame.
With the more experienced quarterback in the game, Wisconsin looked to gain yardage through the air. After a seven-yard pass to move the chains, Simmons was intercepted by Nestor on a deflection that put the Badger defense in a sudden change situation.
Wisconsin’s defense stiffened after the turnover, forcing a three-and-out that gave them new life. Senior outside linebacker Darryl Peterson made an impact after his dominant three-sack performance against Illinois, hurrying Lindsly on third down and forcing him to throw the ball away.
In their most methodical drive of the game, the Badgers unlocked the pass game. A sequence that included a 26-yard dime from Simmons to Mason right over the hands of a Gopher defender set up Wisconsin right outside the redzone.
After a five-yard run from Dupree that made it third-and-7 at the Minnesota 20 yard-line, Simmons threw his second consecutive interception to Nestor, who returned it for 68 yards to the Wisconsin 16 yard-line. Nestor stayed with the pass all the way, tightly guarding wide receiver Trech Kekahuna and deflating the nearly six minute drive from the Badgers.
“You can overcome a lot of different things when you play complimentary football, but turnovers are probably the most difficult thing to overcome,” Fickell said after the game.
With 6:13 remaining in the third quarter, Minnesota made quick work of the advantageous field position. Lindsly found senior tight end Jameson Geers in the end zone on the third play of the drive for a 13-yard touchdown.
That was all the Gophers needed offensively, as they forced two more punts from the Wisconsin offense and sealed the win after a turnover on downs on fourth-and-12 in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.
Students took to the field after the clock hit double zeros, joining Minnesota players in hoisting Paul Bunyan’s Axe.
Wisconsin will now head into a long offseason filled with more questions than answers regarding the future of the program. Fickell, who gained the backing of Wisconsin Athletic Director Chris McIntosh in a public letter going into next season, will enter his fourth season as the leader of a program that has fallen well short of expectations since his hiring in 2022.
“We have to grow, we have to move forward, we have to build on the positive things that we do have, and that’s the only thing we can do.” Fickell said.
