MINNEAPOLIS — When P.J. Fleck made his first trips around the state of Minnesota in the spring of 2017, Gophers fans let their new head football coach know the top priority was to beat Wisconsin.
It had Fleck wondering aloud during stops on the U’s road trip whether it would be OK to finish a season with a 1-11 record — as long as he found a way to beat the Badgers.
In May, Fleck reminded a capacity crowd at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska of that first objective.
“The first thing people said to me was, ‘Get that Axe back, get that Axe back, get that Axe back,’” he said.
The maroon-and-gold crowd burst into applause, knowing how this story ended: Gophers 37, Badgers 15 on Nov. 24. It was Minnesota’s first win in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe since 2003 and the first win in Madison since 1994.
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It’s also Fleck’s signature win through two seasons in Dinkytown. The victory over the Badgers helped Minnesota close the 2018 season with a 3-1 record (7-6 overall), and it’s now used as a sign Minnesota is headed in an upward direction.
Fleck, wide receiver Tyler Johnson, defensive end Carter Coughlin and running back Mo Ibrahim will speak at Big Ten media days at the Hilton Chicago on Thursday. Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst and the Badgers will have their slice of the forum Friday.
“That rivalry is back!” a fired-up Fleck told the crowd in Chaska in May. “That rivalry is now healthy again! I promise you it’s going to be a battle every single year. But when you watched the game, I hope you all saw something happen.”
With Minnesota leading 23-7 at Camp Randall Stadium, Fleck mentioned how the Gophers went on a 15-play drive that milked more than nine minutes off the clock at the start of the fourth quarter. The U failed to score on that drive, but Fleck felt it sent a message.
“Some people said it was ‘Wisconsin style.’ You’re right,” Fleck said. “We controlled the clock. We ran the ball. It was 10 minutes, which was the longest drive in the Big Ten the entire year.”
Fleck also mentioned how the Gophers had three fourth-down conversions in that game, including two on the same touchdown drive to take a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.
“We went for it on fourth down three times because we were going to go win the game!” Fleck said. “We were going to go win it! We weren’t going to sit there and say, ‘Let's play field position.’ We were going to go win the game because that game, in my opinion, set the entire tone for the next two or three decades of Gopher football.”
Fleck is 1-1 with the Gophers against Wisconsin, but last year’s result avenged the Badgers’ 31-0 rout in 2017. Then, last year’s Gophers went on to blow out Georgia Tech 34-10 at the Quick Lane Bowl in December to become the first team in program history to win its final regular-season game and a bowl game in the same year.
