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Badgers claim Big Ten West, reclaim Paul Bunyan’s Axe

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The Minnesota Gophers had an outstanding season, but there will be no trip to the Big Ten title game and Paul Bunyan’s Axe is back in the Wisconsin Badgers trophy case, where it belongs.

The Gophers jumped out in front, but the Badgers dominated the rest of the way, pulling out a 38-17 win, capturing the Big Ten West division title.

The Badgers (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten), will return to the league title game at Lucas Oil Stadium for the third time under head coach Paul Chryst.  The Badgers will square off against Ohio State (12-0, 9-0) in a 7 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.  The Buckeyes cruised to a 38-7 win over the Badgers in Columbus in late October.

While Jonathan Taylor was held to 76 yards and two rushing touchdowns, Badger quarterback Jack Coan completed 15 of 21 for 280 yards and two touchdowns.  It was arguably Coan’s best game as a Badger.

Quintez Cephus had five catches for 114 yards and a touchdown.

Gopher quarterback Tanner Morgan completed 20 of 37 for 292 yards and two touchdowns.  But he also threw an interception and lost a fumble, which the Badgers turned into 10 points.

Linebacker Zach Baun had a big day for the defense with nine tackles and two sacks.  The Badgers registered five sacks in all, giving them 44 for the season.

 

Badgers earn the right to play for Big Ten West title

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The 14th ranked Wisconsin Badgers had a hard time shaking the Purdue Boilermakers early, but pulled away for a 45-24 win at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday.

The win allows the Badgers (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) an opportunity to play border rival Minnesota (10-1, 7-1) for the Big Ten West Division title and the right to face Ohio State for the Big Ten Championship.

Saturday’s match-up at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis will be the 129th meeting in the long rivalry with Paul Bunyan’s axe on the line.  The Badgers lost the axe last season in a 37-15 loss to the Gophers at Camp Randall.  It ended a streak of 14-straight Badger wins in the series.

The Badgers extended their win streak to 14 games with the victory.  Running back Jonathan Taylor rushed 28 times for 222 yards and a touchdown.  Taylor topped 200 yards for the 12th time in his career.

As a team, the Badgers rushed for 403 yards on 55 carries.

Quarterback Jack Coan completed 15 of 19 for 203 yards, one touchdown and one interception. [Read more…]

Badgers end regular season with loss to Gophers

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After maintaining possession of Paul Bunyan’s Axe for 14 straight seasons, the Wisconsin Badgers allowed the Minnesota Gophers to reclaim it.  The Badgers couldn’t get anything going and fell to the Gophers 37-15 on Senior Day at Camp Randall Stadium.

The Badgers were once projected to win the Big Ten West and compete for the Big Ten Championship.  Instead, they lost for the fifth time (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten) this season and fourth time in Big Ten play.

The Badgers lost to the Gophers for the first time since 2003 and the first time at home since 1994.

Minnesota (6-6, 3-6) became bowl eligible with the victory.

Alex Hornibrook returned to the Wisconsin lineup after leaving the Rutgers game on November 3 with his second concussion of the season.  Hornibrook started fast but couldn’t keep it going, completing 22 of 33 for 189 yards, 2 TD’s and 3 interceptions.  He also lost a fumble. [Read more…]

Badgers head to Big Ten title game unbeaten

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Paul Chryst

The Wisconsin Badgers are 12-0 for the first time in school history, following Saturday’s 31-0 shutout win over the Minnesota Gophers in Minneapolis.  The win is the 14th straight for the Badgers in the series and keeps Paul Bunyan’s Axe in Madison for at least another season.

Paul Chryst improved to 22-4 in Big Ten play and 33-6 overall at Wisconsin (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten).

Wisconsin’s win, along with a pair of losses from No. 1 Alabama on Saturday and No. 2 Miami on Friday, should propel the Badgers into the top four when the College Football Playoff rankings come out on Tuesday night.  Wisconsin was fifth in the rankings going into Saturday’s win against Minnesota.

The Badgers will most likely secure a bid in the four-team College Football Playoffs if they knock off Ohio State in this Saturday’s Big Ten title game in Indianapolis. The Buckeyes (10-2, 8-1) knocked off Michigan 31-20 this past weekend.

The Gophers finished 2-7 in the Big Ten and 5-7 overall in P.J. Fleck’s first season.

The Badger defense posted its first shutout since a 37-0 win over Rutgers on Nov. 1, 2014.  The Gophers didn’t even pick up a first down until 41 seconds left in the first half.

The Gophers finished with just 133 total yards on 48 plays, an average of 2.8 yards per play.

Alex Hornibrook finished 15 of 19 for 151 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, while freshman running back Jonathan Taylor finished with 20 carries for 149 yards and a touchdown, giving him 1,806 yards rushing for the season.  That’s third all time for FBS freshmen.  Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne finished with 1,863 yards and Adrian Peterson finished with 1,925 yards in his first season.

Wisconsin improved its record against Minnesota to 60-59-8, taking the lead in the team’s all-time series for the first time in the history of a rivalry that dates to 1890.

 

Badgers extend win streak over Gophers to 13

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Badgers Celebrate with Paul Bunyan's Axe - Photo: Courtesy of the Badger Sports Network

Badgers Celebrate with Paul Bunyan’s Axe – Photo: Courtesy of the Badger Sports Network

The Wisconsin Badgers knew they would be playing for the Big Ten Championship before they took the field against the Minnesota Gophers on Saturday.  The first half may have looked like that as the Badgers trailed 17-7 at halftime.

But the Wisconsin defense, which has engulfed opponents all season long, did it again in the second half against the Gophers.  The Badgers rallied for a 31-17 win over the Gophers.

The Badgers (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) knocked off Minnesota (8-5, 5-4) for the 13th straight season, will now face Penn State in the Big Ten Championship game on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Penn State (10-2, 8-1) beat Michigan State, 45-12, on Saturday.

Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner passed for 111 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 60 yards as the Gophers were jumping all over the Badgers in the first half. [Read more…]

Clement won’t play against Gophers today

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The Badgers celebrate another victory over the Gophers. (Photo by David Stluka)

The Badgers celebrate another victory over the Gophers. (Photo by David Stluka)

With Paul Bunyan’s Axe on the line today, Wisconsin tailback Corey Clement, who was issued two citations for disorderly conduct earlier this week, didn’t travel to Minneapolis for today’s Big Ten Conference finale between the Badgers and Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium.

The decision to hold Clement out was made by coach Paul Chryst.  It means the Badgers will again go with Dare Ogunbowale, Taiwan Deal and Alec Ingold against the Gophers.

UW officials learned earlier this week that Clement had been cited by Madison police for his role in a fight at his apartment on Nov. 8. [Read more…]

New policy for Paul Bunyan’s Axe

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Paul Bunyan's Axe

Paul Bunyan’s Axe

The Wisconsin Badgers currently have possession of Paul Bunyan’s Axe.  If the Minnesota Gophers can pull off the upset over the Badgers on Saturday, they won’t have the chance to sprint across the field to the Badger sideline to take back the Axe.

The two schools decided to change policy after an incident in Minneapolis last season almost led to a brawl.  Minnesota players circled the goal post near their student section in an attempt to block the Wisconsin players from using the axe to hack away at the goal post, which is part of the tradition.  That’s when things got ugly.

Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen approached the UW administration about a change.  Athletic Director Barry Alvarez approved that change.

Now, the Axe will be on the field for the pregame coin toss, then taken inside the stadium.  It will be handed over to the winning team after the game and the players can then come back out onto the field after the game to celebrate with their fans.

Also at stake in Saturday’s game is the Big Ten Conference West Division title and a trip to the Big Ten Championship game.  It’s a winner-take-all scenario for both teams, who are tied atop the Big Ten’s West division entering play.

Badgers roll over Hoosiers, the Axe is (AUDIO)

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So much for the vaunted Indiana offense giving the 17th ranked Badger defense a run for their money.

James White

James White

On a rainy, foggy day in Madison, the Badgers rolled to a 51-3 win over the Hoosiers, before 77,849 at Camp Randall.  Wisconsin improved to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten, while the Hoosiers fell to 4-6 and 2-4.In his pregame speech, Wisconsin coach Gary Anderson asked his players to “start fast and stay steady”.  A 93-yard touchdown run by James White on Wisconsin’s first offensive play took care of the fast start and a steady display of offensive and defensive dominance took care of the steady part.

A year ago, the Badgers rushed for a school record 564 yards in a 62-14 win over the Hoosiers in Bloomington.  They almost beat that total on Saturday, rushing for 554 yards on 50 carries (11.1 ypc avg.).

Wisconsin finished with 676 yards of offense, the second-highest total in school history.  The Badgers have had 600 yard days in three of the last six meetings with the Hoosiers.  Wisconsin’s school record of 705 yards came against Indiana in 1999.

James White rushed for a career high 205 yards on 20 carries.  Melvin Gordon added 146 yards on 13 carries for the Badgers.

AUDIO: Gary Anderson on his teams ground attack :22

The Hoosiers came in averaging 43.1 points and 527.1 yards a game, both in the top 10 nationally.  But the Badgers on this day, held the Hoosiers to 224 yards and 3 points. [Read more…]

Ball is Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Week

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With three more touchdowns on Saturday at Purdue, Wisconsin senior running back Montee Ball surpassed former Badger Ron Dayne

Montee Ball

in the Big Ten and UW record book for career touchdowns.  With 72 in his three-plus seasons with the Badgers, Ball now has his sights set on the NCAA record of 78 held by Travis Prentice (Miami, OH).

Ball rushed for 247 yards on 29 carries and scored three touchdowns.  The highlight touchdown went for 67 yards on the second play of the third quarter, the longest of Ball’s career. 

For his effort, Ball was rewarded with his fifth career Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Week award.  That is the second-most in school history, trailing only Dayne (9), and tied for seventh-most in conference history.

In three conference games, Ball is averaging 152.0 yards per game and has scored eight touchdowns. 

The Badgers next host Minnesota in the Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe.  The two teams square off at Camp Randall Stadium at 11am.