13. Wisconsin 34, Minnesota 24 (2014)

Much like three years before, the Wisconsin Badgers were once again in a battle for the division in the last game of the regular season at Camp Randall Stadium. But that game was against Penn State. This game was against Minnesota, Wisconsin’s biggest rival. It was also the annual battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe and Wisconsin brought a 10-game win streak into the contest. The Badgers were coming off a 26-24 victory in Iowa City against the Hawkeyes, while the Gophers won in Lincoln 28-24 to set up the showdown in Madison to decide which team would take on Ohio State in Indianapolis. For awhile, it looked like the Gophers would snap the 10-game losing streak against the Badgers and earn a berth in the Big Ten Championship game. But Wisconsin scored 24 consecutive points after spotting its rivals a 14-point lead, to beat Minnesota 34-24 to punch its ticket to the conference title game for the third time in four years.

The game could not have started much better for the Gophers. Despite going three-and-out, Minnesota punter Peter Mortell punted it 55 yards to Kenzel Doe, who fumbled it and the Gophers recovered at the Badgers 13. Two plays later, quarterback Mitch Leidner ran it in from 10 yards out to give the Gophers the early 7-0 lead.

Like every game, the Badgers game plan was to give the ball to star running back Melvin Gordon. The Heisman finalist ran for 51 yards in the 69-yard drive to respond for the Badgers. However, on a 23-yard run to get down to the Gophers 6, Gordon was barely tripped up or he would have scored. His next two runs gained a total of one yard and Joel Stave threw an incompletion on third down, so Rafael Gaglianone came on and kicked a short field goal to cut it to 7-3.

The teams exchanged punts, but after a short punt by Wisconsin’s Drew Meyer, the Gophers started with terrific field position at the Badgers 40. Minnesota wasted little time in making this a 14-3 game. On the first play after the punt, David Cobb broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run to put Goldy ahead by two scores.

Wisconsin went three-and-out on its next possession and the Gophers benefited from a face mask penalty at the end of the return to give Minnesota great starting field position at its own 49. Cobb ran for 17 yards on the first three plays to move the Gophers on the verge of field goal range. A pass from Leidner to KJ Maye on third down moved Goldy into the red zone. However, Minnesota had a controversial personal foul penalty, which moved the ball back outside the 20. Ryan Santoso would drill a 37-yard field goal on the drive to put the visitors in front 17-3 with less than 11 minutes left in the half.

Despite being 14 points down, Wisconsin was going to stick to the game plan. Gordon was going to need the ball if the Badgers were going to come back and win. Just two weeks before, Bucky was also down 17-3 and Gordon went onto have 408 yards rushing and the Badgers would come back to blast Nebraska 59-24. However, it was a pass play that would get the offense going and help Wisconsin start to claw back into the game. Facing a 3rd-and-8 from their own 22, Stave went back to pass and found an open Alex Erickson down the left sideline for a 70-yard gain down to the Minnesota 8. Stave would then throw a 4-yard touchdown to Gordon on another third down play to cut it back down to a one score game.

The momentum stayed with Wisconsin through the rest of the first half. On a third down and short at the Wisconsin 30, the Gophers handed the ball to Cobb, who fumbled and Michael Caputo pounced on the loose football for the Badgers at the 31. With less than 20 seconds to play in the first half, Wisconsin decided to go for more points instead of taking a knee to end the half and not risking a turnover. It would be a wise decision by the Badgers. Stave threw two passes to Erickson for a total of 49 yards to move to the Gophers 20. Gaglianone’s 38-yard field goal split the uprights to end the first half. After falling behind 17-3 early, Bucky had all the momentum heading into the half.

After a pair of punts to open the second half, Wisconsin was able to take the lead for good. The Badgers went on an 80-yard drive in seven plays. After a loss of six yards on a run by Doe on first down pushing them back to the Wisconsin 35, Stave hit Sam Arneson for 14 and Gordon ran for eight to pick up the first down. A pass interference penalty on Minnesota’s Briean Boddy-Calhoun put the ball at the Gophers 28. From there, Corey Clement did the rest. Clement, who had not been given the ball up to that point, ran threw a hole and juked twice to elude Minnesota defenders to run in for the 28-yard score. He would make a huge impact on the game, rushing seven times for 89 yards and this touchdown.

Bucky would add to the lead early in the fourth quarter. It would be a 69-yard drive in six plays, with every play being a run. Facing a 3rd-and-2 from his own 39, Gordon was given the ball. He bounced to the outside and stiff armed Boddy-Calhoun to break free for 24 yards down to the Gophers 37. Gordon would come out for a breather and in came Clement once again. After a run of five on first down, he blasted through a huge hole for 31 yards before being tripped up at the Minnesota 1. Gordon would score on the following play and the Badgers had scored 24 unanswered points to take a 27-17 lead.

Minnesota would not go away quietly, though. The Gophers needed two scores in the final 10 minutes from an offense that had not scored since early in the second quarter. Goldy’s big play tight end Maxx Williams had been silent all day. But on a third down play from the Minnesota 44, Leidner found Williams wide open and he ran all the way to the Wisconsin 3. Two plays later, Leidner ran in for his second touchdown of the day and it was back to a one score game.

The dagger would be inserted on the following possession, though, as Wisconsin went on a drive that punched its ticket to Indianapolis. After three Gordon runs went for a total of 18 yards, the Badgers went to the air on 2nd-and-4. With the Minnesota cornerbacks playing off the Wisconsin wide receivers, Stave threw a wide receiver screen to Erickson, who received a block from Jordan Frederick to spring him for 31 yards down to the 26. On the day, Erickson caught five passes for 160 yards. After a run of nine by Clement set up the Badgers with a second down and short, Wisconsin delivered the knockout punch. Rob Wheelwright, who would only catch one pass the entire season, made the biggest play of his career. Stave threw it over the middle into the end zone and Wheelwright reached up and caught it for the touchdown. Wheelwright’s brother, Ernie, is a former wide receiver for Minnesota, so it is fitting that Rob would make his only catch of the year against the Gophers. Rob’s big-time catch gave the Badgers the 34-24 advantage with 4:41 remaining.

Minnesota would not do anything on its last two possessions, gaining just five yards in seven total plays and the Badgers would take over on downs after the Gophers final drive. Stave would take a knee twice to end the game and Wisconsin earned a berth in the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis against Ohio State. Even though the game against the Buckeyes......well, did not go so well, this win ranks right up there in great moments since 2000. Not only did Wisconsin win the axe for the 11th consecutive year, it won against its biggest rivals to head to Indianapolis.