Gophers Battle Badgers for Paul Bunyan’s Axe Saturday

Last weekend's border battle between the Vikings and Packers may not have ended in the North Star State's favor, but there's another battle brewing this weekend between the Gophers and Badgers at TCF Bank Stadium.

Yes, the Gophers are set to host the Badgers in the Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe at 2:30 Saturday. It's rivalry that's been around for awhile, too. In fact, gophersports.com says, "At 124 games and counting, the series between Minnesota and Wisconsin ranks as the longest in Division 1-A football."

The site says the rivalry began way back in 1890, when the Gophers shutout the Badgers 63-0. It got so heated that President Teddy Roosevelt actually cancelled the game in 1906 due to the threat of  "...injuries and deaths on the field." Sheesh-- and they say things are violent in today's game!

Out of the 124 total games played, Wisconsin has had more victories with 41. Minnesota has won 23 times, and there have been 3 ties. (If you're counting, that's only 67 games. That's because while the two schools have played each other 124 total times, they've only been battling for Paul Bunyan's Axe since 1948. Before that, they played for the Slab of Bacon-- with the winning team able to "bring home the bacon.")

Recently, though, it's been all Badgers-- the Gophers haven't won the Axe since 2003, when Glen Mason's squad beat Barry Alvarez's Badgers 37-34 at the Metrodome. This weekend's contest is shaping up to be a good game, too. Twincities.com notes that seeing as it's Senior Day, now-retired Gophers coach Jerry Kill is set to be on-hand for the game, to cheer on the players he recruited and coached the past four years.

Last year, while the Gophers led 17-3 at the start of the second quarter, they ended up losing to the Badgers 34-24 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.