Gophers P.J. Fleck wants to bring Paul Bunyan’s Axe back to Minnesota

All you have to say to people in the midwest is Minnesota versus Wisconsin, and fans automatically know what a true rivalry is all about.

The first game of the historic rivalry between the Gophers and Badgers took place in 1890. P.J. Fleck loves this time of year and knows what winning this game means to Gophers alumni and fans alike.

"It’s a rivalry game, a huge game, records get thrown out the window it’s a one game championship season against your biggest rival. There are four huge rivalries here at the University of Minnesota and Wisconsin is right up there and this is what’s fun about playing here. This is more than about just our football team this is about teams of the past, everybody who’s played before us and everybody who’ll play after us. This is way bigger than one person or one team that’s what makes rivalries really special," says Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck.

***To see more from P.J. Fleck and his press conference from Monday CLICK THE PLAY ICON***

In 2018, Fleck had his first taste of winning this game and claiming Paul Bunyans’ Axe, before that the Badgers won 14 straight games. Make no mistake about it, as much as Minnesota wants to win all trophy games, this game in particular is extra special.

Currently, the rivalry can’t get much closer than it already is, since 1890, Wisconsin leads the series 61-60-8 all time with the Badgers beating the Gophers last year 38-17 to take the slight edge.

Game time is set for 1:00pm on Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin.