Minnesota and Wisconsin fans would each rather their teams lose Paul Bunyan's Axe than not play at all, so regardless of the outcome Saturday, the fact the trophy was on the line at all for the 130th time felt like a gift. Maybe not a gift they should have gotten, considering the risks of playing any sport in a pandemic, but one that felt good to receive anyway.
In the end, however, the Badgers are the ones who won the Axe. It was a tight, at times ugly contest in which 14 of 23 possessions ended in either a punt or a field goal attempt. If Wisconsin had lost, the story of the game would have been about absent players (both new and held over from previous weeks) and an underperforming quarterback. Instead, it's about how Minnesota intentionally ran into a brick wall and couldn't take capitalize on their opponents' difficulties moving the ball.
