Darius Taylor had 19 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown as Minnesota held on for a 17-7 win over Wisconsin in a Big Ten matchup Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Drake Lindsey completed 18 of 24 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown on a snow-covered field for Minnesota (7-5, 5-4). Jameson Geers had a touchdown reception.
Hunter Simmons completed 12 of 19 passes for 162 yards but threw two interceptions for Wisconsin (4-8, 2-7). Vinny Anthony II caught four passes for 92 yards to lead all receivers.
Minnesota beat its border rival for the fourth time in the past five seasons. The Golden Gophers gathered on the field to lift Paul Bunyan’s Axe, the ceremonial trophy that goes to the winner of the game each season.
After a scoreless first quarter, Minnesota grabbed a 3-0 lead with 6:32 to go in the first half when Brady Denaburg made a 33-yard field goal.
Minnesota increased its lead to 10-0 with 2:45 left in the half. Taylor found an opening to his right and broke free for a 49-yard rushing touchdown.
The play marked Taylor’s 20th career touchdown with Minnesota, including his 18th on the ground. The standout junior rushed for a touchdown for the second game in a row.
Wisconsin cut the deficit to 10-7 with 27 seconds remaining before halftime. Carter Smith tossed a pass to the right sideline for Jackson Acker, who tapped his toes just inside the edge of the end zone for the 1-yard touchdown reception.
The Golden Gophers moved ahead 17-7 with 5:04 to go in the third quarter. After John Nestor picked off a Simmons pass and returned it 68 yards into the red zone, Lindsey lobbed a pass over the middle to Geers for the 13-yard touchdown.
Geers celebrated by making a snow angel in the back of the end zone.
Neither team moved the ball easily in tough weather conditions. Wisconsin finished with a 268-218 advantage in total yards, but the Badgers committed three turnovers while Minnesota committed none.
