Minnesota Golden Gophers players celebrate with the ax after a victory over the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 29, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Mark Crawford #96 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates with the ax after a win over the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 29, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Daniel Jackson #9 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates with the ax after a win over the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 29, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Luther McCoy #52 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates with the ax after a win over the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 29, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Dragan Kesich #99 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates with the ax after a win over the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 29, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

Minnesota linebacker Cody Lindenberg (45) receives the Paul Bunyan Football Trophy after winning an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

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Minnesota Golden Gophers players celebrate with the ax after a victory over the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 29, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

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MADISON, Wis. – From 2004 to 2017, not a single Gophers football player touched Paul Bunyan’s ax, so there was no chance to start or even rekindle a tradition when they got their hands on the seven-foot trophy.

With a commanding 24-7 victory over the Badgers on Friday, Minnesota was now able to celebrate with the Ax in four of the seven rivalry games so far. They’ve done it so often that it’s been known to be the seniors who show it off on the field, imitating how to smash goalposts.

Those seniors included Nick Kallerup of Wayzata, Danny Striggow of Orono and Quinn Carroll of Edina on Friday at Camp Randall Stadium. They were the ones watching as their predecessors did it on the same field in 2022.

“As a little kid from Minnesota, it was obviously a dream and it was so surreal to be able to do that,” Carroll said. Carroll’s brothers – diehard Gopher fans and all sons of former tight end Jay Carroll – were eager to join in the celebration and stormed the field, but the party crashers were escorted out.

During the game, the Gophers only allowed the Badgers to be interlopers for a short time in their dominant win.

Minnesota took a 21-0 lead and only allowed the Badgers to score after a late penalty on linebacker Joey Gerlach turned what would have been a fourth-and-15 into a first down for Wisconsin. The Badgers scored a touchdown two plays later to make the score 21-7, and coach PJ Fleck paced the sideline, knowing his team might have opened the door to its rivals.

Then Gophers kicker Dragan Kesich missed a 49-yard field goal attempt to open the game up a notch. But the Badgers followed with their own missed 37-yard field goal attempt and the Gophers defense relented. Kesich made a 43-yarder with three minutes left and slammed the door.

The Gophers outgained the Badgers by 208 yards and won consecutive games in Madison for the first time since 1984 and 1986.

The win gave the Gophers a winning record (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten), snapped a two-game losing streak, gave them one win in four attempts at trophy games and improved their bowl position. Meanwhile, Wisconsin (5-7, 3-6) lost its fifth straight game for the first time since 1991 and snapped a streak of 22 consecutive seasons with a winning record and bowl eligibility.

Quarterback Max Brosmer totaled three touchdowns, two passes and one rushing. Running back Darius Taylor rushed for 126 yards and receiver Daniel Jackson had six receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown.

After the first two offensive drives went nowhere, Minnesota managed a four-play, 10-yard touchdown drive, including a 37-yard connection from Brosmer to Jackson. Brosmer capped the drive with a QB sneak out of the tush-push formation from 1 yard out for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

On the next drive, the Gophers faced a third-and-1 and lined up in the same tush-push formation, but countered with a handoff to Marcus Major, who raced around left end for a 40-yard gain. That drive was capped off with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Brosmer to Jackson to make it 14-0.

Minnesota extended its 14-point halftime lead to 21 on a 15-yard touchdown toss from Brosmer to tight end Jameson Geers in the third quarter.

Badgers fans booed their team in the first half and were eliminated soon after after their brief attempt at comeback failed early in the fourth period. At this point, Gophers fans gathered in the front rows to celebrate together and deepen the tradition.

“It’s a great feeling,” Striggow said of holding the axe. “A few years ago, it was pretty special to see those older guys hitting the goalposts and to feel that in our last game of the regular season as guys leaving. Being able to look up and see just the Gopher fans left there, go crazy and see my family.”