The worst Wisconsin football season in 23 years came to a crashing end on Friday afternoon.
The Badgers fell to the rival Minnesota Golden Gophers 24-7. The loss dropped the team to 5-7 to officially close its season. That result clinches the program’s first losing campaign since 2001.
The loss followed a similar script to many of the Badgers’ recent defeats. The team struggled to move forward on offense, totaling just 48 yards on its first eight drives of the contest. Minnesota dominated in every facet. It out-gained Wisconsin 374-166, held the ball for 33:51 and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half.
Wisconsin QB Braedyn Locke went 15-of-23 passing for 130 yards and a touchdown in the loss. He and the Badgers’ offense showed a glimpse of life in the third quarter, one time threatening to narrow the deficit to one score. But their momentum was quickly extinguished by a strong Minnesota defensive unit, and by yet another Nathanial Vakos missed field goal.
The story of Minnesota’s all-around victory is accurately told by the scoreboard, and by the final stat sheet.
The loss means that Luke Fickell and the Badgers finish the season on a five-game losing skid after a 5-2 start. The final 5-7 record is, again, the program’s first losing season since 2001. Its 22-year bowl streak was third in the nation behind only Georgia (28 years) and Oklahoma (26).
Minnesota evens the all-time series at 63-63-8 with the victory. It closes a successful regular season for P.J. Fleck’s team against one of the nation’s toughest schedules.
The win is an important one for Minnesota as it jockeys for position in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, it is a historic one for the Wisconsin football program. It now turns focus to 2025 in an unprecedented position.
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