Wisconsin vs. Minnesota 2025 Preview: Can Badgers Bring the Axe Back to Madison?

The last week of the regular season is upon us, and that means it’s Axe week. The Wisconsin Badgers (4-7) travel to Minnesota to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-5). So what are the keys, and how does Wisconsin knock off its biggest rival in rivalry week? Let’s break it all down in our 2025 Wisconsin vs. Minnesota 2025 Football Preview.

Wisconsin Badgers vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers: 2025 College Football Preview

Series History

These two teams started playing each other back in 1890 and have played every year since, except for 1906. The all-time series is tied at 63-63-8. Wisconsin is 6-4 in the previous 10 matchups, and from 2004-2017, the Badgers didn’t lose to the Gophers. The Gophers have, however, found some recent success, winning three of the last four contests.

The most notable matchup in recent memory happened back in 2019. The Gophers were a top-10 team amid one of their best seasons ever, and the Badgers stormed into Minneapolis and won 38-17. That Badger victory propelled them to the Big Ten Championship and put a damper on one of the Gophers’ best seasons ever.

The hatred runs deep for both schools, and the series couldn’t be any closer all-time.

Minnesota Key Players

Minnesota is led by redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey. Lindsey has had a decent year, throwing for 2145 yards and 15 touchdowns. Unlike most of the quarterbacks the Badgers have faced this year, Lindsey is a true pocket passer, with limited mobility.

Wisconsin should have the ability to speed Lindsey up. And, due to his lack of lateral quickness, the Badgers have a great chance to put pressure in Lindsey’s face all game long. However, Lindsey is coming off a great game after throwing for 264 yards and four touchdowns last week against Northwestern.

Minnesota prides itself on being physical and winning the line of scrimmage under PJ Fleck. You can almost guarantee that the Gophers will come out running the ball and assert their physicality. Darius Taylor and Fame Ijeboi are going to be those running backs trying to assert their physicality. Both players are downhill backs listed at 6-foot, 210 pounds, and have over 400 yards and two touchdowns on the year.

The ability for them to average 4-5 yards per carry is key to keeping the Gophers ahead of the sticks offensively. The Gophers must avoid third and long, and obvious passing situations, as the Badgers will feast with their pass rush all game long.

On the outside, the Gophers have two receivers with over 400 yards on the year in Le’Meke Brockington and Javon Tracy. Tracy leads the team with six touchdowns. Also keep an eye on redshirt freshman Jalen Smith, who has flashed at times this season.

Defensively, Minnesota is always going to have quality and physical linebackers, and this year is no different. Maverick Baranowski and Devon Williams are top on the team in tackles with 79 and 73, respectively. Physicality is the name of the game for those two.

Other players to watch are Koi Perch and Anthony Smith. Perch is third on the team in tackles (69), and can really do it all on a football field. The Gophers do a great job of moving him around due to his great size and athleticism. Perch, at times, also finds himself on the offensive side of the ball at receiver and on special teams returning kicks and punts. The Badgers have to be locked in and know where Perch is at all times.

Lastly, Anthony Smith leads this Gopher team with 10.5 sacks. He has great size and athleticism at 6-foot-6. Similar to Gabe Jacas from Illinois last week, it’s imperative that the Badgers don’t let Smith take over the game and ruin what the Badgers are doing offensively.

Wisconsin Key Players

Carter Smith will be making his third start for the Badgers on Saturday. He has the ability to go 2-1 for the Badgers in his freshman season. Smith has looked better every week since entering the Washington game early in the second quarter. He has looked calm and poised in the pocket, and his legs are a difference maker. Smith has only thrown for 181 yards in basically four full games, but it hasn’t really mattered recently. Smith can not turn the ball over, which he’s done a good job of. As long as he takes care of the ball, the Badgers will be just fine on Saturday.

The Badgers have found their identity again, and it’s physicality – just like it’s been since Barry Alvarez got to town in 1990. Darrion Dupree flashed last week, rushing for 131 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first time in over a year that a Badger running back has rushed for more than 100 yards, and it was needed. Wisconsin might be getting a boost to the running back room this week as Gideon Ituka may return from a concussion he suffered against Indiana a few weeks back.

If Ituka is able to play, it gives them a thunder and lightning duo in the backfield of sorts. Yet, even if Ituka is unable to go, Dupree will be just fine taking a bulk of the carries just as he did last week.

On the outside, it’s Trech Kekahuna. His ability and athleticism on end-arounds and jet sweeps bring a dynamic to the offense that is greatly needed with limited downfield passing. Kekahuna also showed his physicality last week against Illinois, finishing runs with authority and running over defenders.

Also, Lance Mason, who hasn’t been talked about enough this year, leads the team in receiving with 349 yards and in touchdowns (4). He has been a security blanket this year and will need to be one again on Saturday for Carter Smith.

Defensively, it’s all about the front seven. Mason Posa, Cooper Catalano, Darryl Peterson, and Mason Reiger in particular. Every single Wisconsin game preview this year has highlighted the front seven and the pass rush in particular because it really is the key. The past few weeks, the Badgers’ pass rush and front seven have looked like one of the best in the country and have had opposing quarterbacks running for their lives.

After only a few short weeks of being a starting linebacker, Posa leads the team in tackles with 49, while also adding four sacks. Peterson leads the team with 6.5 sacks, including five in the past two games. Reiger is one of the twitchiest edge rushers in the entire country. Catalano is also a tackling machine and, in a few short weeks, has accumulated 46 total tackles.

The Badgers’ ability to continue to create instant pressure on Saturday is a key, especially against a Minnesota offensive line that has struggled the past few weeks.

2025 Game Preview: How Wisconsin wins vs. Minnesota in Week 14

Depending on the book, the Badgers are slight underdogs on Saturday at +1.5 with the O/U set at 37.5.

This game certainly isn’t going to win any beauty pageants. It will be a classic physical old-school Big Ten game. Some of our previews have been quite long this season regarding how Wisconsin can win the game. This week, however, it’s quite simple. If the Badgers win the line of scrimmage, they win this game. It’s cliché to say, but it really is that simple for the Badgers this week.

The Badgers found their identity the past few weeks, and it’s violence and physicality. If their running backs can get downhill as they did against Illinois last week, it might be a long day for the Gophers and their fans.

Defensively, Wisconsin should be able to get after Drake Lindsey, especially with a weaker Minnesota offensive line. Reiger, Cheeks, and Peterson should be in the backfield, and Posa and Catalano should be able to control the run game. Minnesota doesn’t have any game wreckers on the outside. As long as the Badgers keep everything in front in the backend, they should be just fine.

It’s crucial that quarterback Carter Smith takes care of the ball and doesn’t make any freshman mistakes. This is a rivalry game, so emotions will be high. The ability for the Badgers to keep their emotions in check is critical, especially when the game inevitably gets chippy.

Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel should have more exotic blitz packages and coverages this week that will confuse the Gopher offensive line and Lindsey. As long as the Badgers rally to the football, the Gophers will have a hard time moving the ball.

This is a rivalry game where anything can happen. These two schools know each other like the back of their hand; staying calm amidst the noise is key for both teams. Wisconsin has been playing better football than Minnesota the past few weeks and still has an outside shot of making a bowl game. Minnesota embarrassed Wisconsin last year, and the Badger players remember that.

Expect a physical, hard-fought, low-scoring game. The team that takes care of the ball and wins the line of scrimmage will win this game. This game is not only important for the Badgers this year, but also as they try to build momentum for next year.

The past few weeks have brought some positivity back to Wisconsin. They have the chance to build on it with a win on Saturday. With all that being said, when the game ends Saturday afternoon, the Badgers will hope they are sprinting towards the goalpost with Axe in hand, getting ready to chop it down.