Minnesota reclaimed Paul Bunyan's Axe Saturday afternoon with a 24-7 win against rival Wisconsin, earning its third victory in Madison since 2018 in the process. The Gophers also improved to an impressive 3-1 in their past four games against Wisconsin and secured seven wins for the third time in four years under coach P.

The Minnesota-Wisconsin series is the most-played FBS rivalry, and a Gophers victory would enable them to tie the all-time series at 63-63-8. Since 1948, the winner of this game has gained possession of Paul Bunyan's Axe.

Wisconsin had a string of 22 consecutive bowl appearances and winning seasons. But the team needed a win to get to .500 and become bowl eligible.