10 thoughts after Wisconsin football's disappointing loss at Minnesota
Wisconsin couldn't put together consecutive wins in conference play to end its 2025 season.
MINNEAPOLIS — P.J. Fleck’s been a nuisance to the University of Wisconsin football program since his coaching arrival in the Big Ten.
Fleck’s led his Gophers to wins in four of their last five contests against the Badgers, the latest came Saturday during Minnesota’s 17-7 win inside a snowy Huntington Bank Stadium.
Minnesota, which now leads the all-time series 64-63-8, is 5-4 against Wisconsin with Fleck as coach dating back to 2017.
Let’s get to some thoughts after the loss that concludes the Badgers’ season with a 4-8 record, a 2-7 mark in Big Ten play.
One drive really decided the game
There was, at the very least, a 10-point swing that quite possibly could have been a 14-point swing in the second half. Wisconsin trailed 10-7 in the third quarter, but its passing game came alive during a series that helped drive the offense down to the Minnesota 20-yard line. Quarterback Hunter Simmons, who rebounded from throwing one interception earlier in the quarter, connected on two throws to tight end Lance Mason that moved the chains.
The Badgers faced a third-and-7 and was in field goal range, but Simmons threw an errant ball intended for wide receiver Trech Kekahuna. Minnesota cornerback John Nestor intercepted and returned to the Wisconsin 16.
“We just had the drag route coming back, and I thought Trech had the leverage,” Simmons said. “And then (Nestor) undercut it last second, got it.”
Three plays later on a third-and-7, quarterback Drake Lindsey found tight end Jameson Geers for a 13-yard touchdown that capped the game’s scoring and Minnesota’s lead to a 10-point advantage.