GAME NOTES: Wisconsin 20, Minnesota 17 (OT)

The Wisconsin Badgers beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers in overtime on Saturday to retain Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the 16th time in the last 17 years. We’ve got some fun facts from the game, courtesy of the Wisconsin Athletic Department.

• Today’s game matched the latest date on which Wisconsin has played a regular-season game and also marks the latest home game in program history. UW also played on Dec. 19 when it faced Carlisle Indian School at Chicago Coliseum to close the 1896 season.
• Saturday’s game was just the second played in the month of December at Camp Randall Stadium, which opened in 1917. The first came when the Badgers hosted No. 10 Indiana two weeks ago (Dec. 5).
• Wisconsin improved to 62-60-8 in the all-time series with Minnesota.
• The Badgers have won 23 of their last 26 meetings with the Gophers, dating to 1995.
• Dating to the 2010 season, Wisconsin has won 23 of its last 26 games with a traveling trophy on the line vs. Iowa (Heartland Trophy), Minnesota (Paul Bunyan’s Axe) and Nebraska (Freedom Trophy).
• Wisconsin improved to 9-6 all-time in overtime games, winning each of its last three such games.
• The Badgers are 2-0 against Minnesota in overtime, also claiming a 20-17 overtime win in 1999.
• UW converted its 18th fourth-quarter, game-winning field goal in school history on a 30-yard kick from Collin Larsh. That kick marked the team’s first game-winning FG since Rafael Gaglianone’s 47-yarder with 3:47 left to beat LSU, 16-14, on Setp. 3, 2016.
• Wisconsin’s last overtime game-winning FG also came from Gaglianone on a 25-yard kick to beat Auburn in the 2015 Outback Bowl.
• The Badgers held Minnesota to 17 points and 326 total yards, both qualify as the second-lowest total of the season for the Gophers.
• UW entered the game leading the nation in fewest yards allowed per game (251.0 ypg) and 6th in the FBS in points allowed per game (15.4 ppg).
• Sophomore QB Chase Wolf attempted his first passes of the season, finishing 4-for-5 for 15 yards. He also threw his first career touchdown pass on a 4-yard throw to WR Jack Dunn in the third quarter.
• Senior RB Garrett Groshek, playing in his 46th career game, made the first start of his career and rushed for a career-high 154 yards on 24 carries, including a career-long 39-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

• Groshek is the 33rd player in school history to record a 100-yard rushing performance vs. Minnesota.
• Groshek also caught 4 passes for 13 yards.
• Senior WR Jack Dunn recorded his 1st touchdown catch of the season — and 2nd of his career — on a 4-yard pass from Wolf in the third quarter.
• Dunn set career highs with 7 catches for 76 yards, including a career-long 24-yard reception
• Junior TE Jake Ferguson hauled in 3 passes for 35 yards.
• Ferguson has caught at least 1 pass in each of his 33 career games, extending the nation’s 4th longest active streak.
• Ferguson’s 33 straight games with a reception marks the longest streak by a tight end in school history, passing Travis Beckum (32, 2006-08).
• Sophomore ILB Leo Chenal recorded a career-high 13 tackles, including a career-best 5.0 TFLs and a pair of sacks. Chenal entered the game with 3.0 TFLs and 2.0 sacks in his career.
• Chenal also tallied his first-career forced fumble.
• Chenal is the first Badger to record at least 5.0 TFLs in a game since OLB Garret Dooley recorded 5.0 vs. Northwestern on Sept. 30, 2017.
• Chenal is the first UW player with at least 2.0 sacks in a game since Zack Baun recorded 2.0 on Nov. 30, 2019 vs. Minnesota.
• Senior S Eric Burrell recorded his 1st interception of the season, and 5th of his career, picking off a Tanner Morgan pass in the end zone in the second quarter.
• Freshman OLB Nick Herbig posted a career-high 7 tackles , surpassing his previous best of 5 at Michigan.

• Junior K Collin Larsh went 2-for-3 on field goal attempts, connecting on a 31-yarder in the fourth quarter and a 30-yarder in overtime.