NEW LATE-NIGHT PATROLS ADDED TO DINKYTOWN P 10 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2018
EARLY WEEK
EXTRA PATROLS COME AFTER INCREASE IN BAR-CLOSE TRAFFIC
MNDAILY.COM
‘THE AXE’ IS BACK
The Gophers take a group picture at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 24. The Gophers beat the Badgers 37-15 for the first time since 2003.
Minnesota beat Wisconsin for the first time since 2003 to regain the tie in the rivalry. BY JACK WARRICK jwarrick@mndaily.com
The Gophers have been through six head coaches since the last time they took a victory over the Badgers. Minnesota took advantage to change that on Saturday and put head coach P.J. Fleck in the win column versus its rivals to the east. Minnesota beat Wisconsin for the first time since 2003, taking Paul Bunyan’s Axe back to Dinkytown for the first time in over a decade. “I know this is a moment and memory they’ll remember the rest of their life,” Fleck said. “When you hold the axe ... you know why everyone wants it so much.” The victory marked Fleck’s first road
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Big Ten win since taking over last season. The Gophers used turnovers, field goals, freshman running back Mohamed Ibrahim and a 69-yard punt return touchdown to fight their way to the end. Minnesota hadn’t beaten the Badgers in their own Camp Randall Stadium since 1994. Minnesota’s rout put the all-time rivalry record back to even with a 60-60-8 all-time record in over 100 years of rivalry games. It was the last regular season game for Minnesota. The 6-6 record will give the team eligibility in a bowl game to extend its season. “That moment is just something I will
never forget in my entire life,” quarterback Tanner Morgan said. “[I] got really emotional. Probably almost cried — I don’t know — but it’s just such a surreal experience. And I was just very thankful for everybody that was here, and the roles that they played.” Ibrahim led the Minnesota offense with 26 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown. His first score was at 2:21 left in the second quarter on a fourth-and-inches situation, giving Minnesota a 10-0 lead. The Gophers scored again later in the second quarter when punt returner Demetrius Douglas took the punt 69 yards to the end zone,
TONY SAUNDERS, DAILY
which gave the Gophers a 17-0 lead before anyone knew it. “Mo [Ibrahim] played a huge role tonight in winning us this thing right here,” Morgan said. “He’s hit on contact and he’s pushing, taking care of the ball. He’s getting 2, 3 extra yards.” “My coaches put me in the best position to be able to return, and my teammates came through, got on their blocks, stayed on their blocks and just gave me a hole to run through,” Douglas said. “It’s just really a whole team effort.” The Gophers had a 17-7 lead at halftime, the same lead Minnesota had two seasons ago at Camp Randall when then-quarterback Mitch Leidner threw four interceptions in the second half to hand Wisconsin a 31-17 win. M i n n e s o t a b ro k e a n y h o p e o f a Wisconsin comeback when the defense forced back-to-back turnovers deep in Badgers’ territory late in the fourth
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Fans flock to welcome home the axe Following win over Badgers, Minnesota came back to a crowd of waiting fans at the Gophers’ practice facility.
The Gophers took the ball from the Wisconsin offense four times in Saturday’s win.
BY DREW COVE dcove@mndaily.com
Fans woke up Saturday morning to a familiar frame of mind: the Gophers are underdogs against Wisconsin. The point spread favored the Badgers by more than 11 on their home turf to keep Paul Bunyan’s Axe in Madison for the 15thconsecutive year. Suffice it to say, Minnesota fans were treated to an upset of the bitter border rival to take the storied trophy back to Dinkytown. “Minnesota!” head coach P.J. Fleck said to the crowd waiting for the team in Minneapolis. “Your axe is officially home.” The 37-15 final score had turned into a sure victory for Minnesota late in the game with a lead as large as 30 points. Once the game was over shortly after 5:30 p.m., the team celebrated on the field with the axe, got packed up and headed back to Minneapolis with some extra cargo. As local fans were abuzz on Twitter wondering when the team was to get back, the team had a special reception in mind. The team arrived at the new indoor practice facility just before 11:30 p.m., though fans were streaming towards Athletes Village as early as 10:15 to make sure they had a place to see the team return. Around that time, much of the marching band was making its way through Dinkytown to welcome the team home. “This is what our community is about,
Defense shines for Gophers in win over UW BY PAUL HODOWANIC phodowanic@mndaily.com
Minnesota’s 30-14 victory over Michigan in 2014. “It’s the axe, it’s 14-15 years, we might as well come down and do it all again.” Meyers was present at the Metrodome, the Gophers’ now-extinct former home, when then-kicker Rhys Lloyd hit a gamewinning field goal in the 2003 game only to storm to the Wisconsin sideline and hoist the axe into the air. He said that the resounding pressure on the Minnesota head coach when he was hired was to beat Wisconsin at all costs. “Some people you’re going to talk to say, ‘Oh heck, go 1-11 as long as you beat
Head coach P.J. Fleck said earlier in the week the Gophers’ care of the ball hadn’t been where it needed to be. That message was heard loud and clear Saturday, evidenced by the Gophers’ performance. “The ball has not been the program,” Fleck said Tuesday regarding the team’s turnover problem. “We are lucky we are 5-6; we got to be able to fix that.” The program was in good hands Saturday. The Gophers (6-6, 3-6) forced three interceptions and a fumble recovery on defense and committed zero turnovers on offense. The differential proved to be the key as Minnesota knocked off the Badgers (7-5, 5-4) 37-15 in Madison, Wisconsin. This was the Gophers’ first time winning in Madison since 1994. “We won the turnover margin. ... We are 6-0 when we do that, and 0-6 when we don’t. And they did exactly what they needed to do,” Fleck said. “I thought our defense came up big; they made huge plays.” Saturday marked the first game of the season that the offense committed zero turnovers. “The ball is the program, no question about [it]. Previously, we hadn’t been taking care of it like it was the program,”
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COURTNEY DEUTZ, DAILY
Gopher fans convene late into the evening of Saturday, Nov. 3 at the football team’s indoor practice facility to greet the team as the players returned from their win in Madison, Wisconsin.
this is what our city is about,” Fleck said. “I’m just so thankful everybody showed up. Our fans, our band. This is what the University of Minnesota is all about.” Among the sea of maroon and gold-clad fans packed into the facility were alumni and current students alike. One such fan was Brian Meyers, who stuck with the team through the axe-less drought. He was there the last time Minnesota won one of its other historic rivalry trophies. “We were down here [four] years ago when they brought the [Little Brown] Jug home,” Meyers said, referring to
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