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Studs and duds from Wisconsin Badgers 17-7 loss to Minnesota Golden Gophers

The snowstorm in Minneapolis made life difficult for the Wisconsin Badgers as they failed to win back Paul Bunyan's Axe from the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Lorin Cox|
Nov 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Wisconsin Badgers players huddle during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium.
Nov 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Wisconsin Badgers players huddle during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

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The snowstorm in Minneapolis made life difficult for the Wisconsin Badgers as they failed to win back Paul Bunyan's Axe from the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The disappointing loss undid some of the goodwill Luke Fickell had earned with two ranked victories in the previous three weeks, though the weather conditions played poorly into the Badgers' existing weaknesses.

Wisconsin's defense bailed out its offense over and over again, and the inability to consistently move the ball or score points was the most frustrating part of the loss.

Here are the biggest studs and duds from the season-ending defeat in college football's oldest rivalry.

Stud: RB Jackson Acker

The running back who transitioned to tight end and now back to running back was one of the few bright spots for the Badgers offense.

He continues to provide a nice spark on his limited carries in relief of Darrion Dupree, and he made the catch of the year for Wisconsin on the endzone sideline.

Somehow Acker kept his feet in bounds while hauled in a 4th-and-Goal pass from true freshman quarterback Carter Smith late in the first half.

It gave the Badgers some much needed hope to stick around in the game, but it proved to be Wisconsin's only score of the game.

Acker did his part. Few others did on offense.

Dud: Offensive Coordinator Jeff Grimes

It's not easy to call plays in a blizzard, but the Badgers' offensive game plan was full of head scratchers.

The most glaring issue was the two-quarterback system with Carter Smith and Hunter Simmons.

Smith scored Wisconsin's only points of the game, but then the coaching staff took him out and rolled with Simmons for the whole second half, even as he stared down receivers and threw two interceptions.

Smith wasn't playing super well, but he had been the spark behind the Badgers' recent victories, and it was strange to see the team abandon that strategy that had worked previously.

It didn't help that Grimes started getting predictable with designed QB runs on third downs and run-pass-option screens on long down and distances.

The textbook creativity the offensive coordinator had shown all season wasn't there in Minneapolis.

Stud: WR Vinny Anthony

When Wisconsin did find ways to complete a few passes, Vinny Anthony was the top beneficiary.

The highly was as 67-yard wheel route from Hunter Simmons late in the first half (one of his few impressive throws), but he had three other catches for 25 yards as he got open over the middle of the field and created some yards after the catch.

It would have been nice to see Anthony finish his deep catch in the endzone, but it did set up the Smith-to-Acker touchdown before the half.

He did have a dropped pass that detracts from his performance slightly, but Anthony was the most consistent weapon on the field, while others like Trech Kekahuna failed to make plays with the ball in their hands.

Dud: C Davis Heinzen

The backup center seemed to have settled in nicely in recent weeks, but Davis Heinzen regressed against Minnesota.

He had several bad snaps that disrupted the quarterback's timing on both runs and passes, and the run blocking from the interior left a lot to be desired.

Heinzen was beaten quickly of the line of scrimmage for a tackle for loss on Wisconsin's first play of the game. Later on that drive, he snapped the ball into a motioning wide receiver for a fumble.

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To his credit, the pass protection was solid for most of the game, giving Simmons plenty of time to stare down receivers from the pocket.

But Heinzen and the Badgers struggled to win the trenches in the ground game against a stout Minnesota defensive line.

Left tackle Riley Mahlman also had some rough moments he won't enjoy watching back on film.

Stud: DT Ben Barten

Wisconsin's defense as a whole could go down as a "stud" for their performance in the game, but Ben Barten stood out for going above and beyond.

He blew up a few runs from the interior, including a key play after a Simmons interception that helped force a three-and-out and limit the damage from the turnover.

Barten's biggest highlight, though, was his blocked field goal in the first quarter. Minnesota had a great field position after the Heinzen snap that was fumbled, but Barten made sure the game remained scoreless at the time.

His stat line doesn't tell the story of how big his impact was in this game.

Dud: P Sean West

Snowy conditions aren't easy to punt in, but Sean West can't blame the wind when the ball shanks off of the side of his foot multiple times.

Wisconsin didn't lose this game because of its punter, but a low-scoring struggle like this made special teams that much more important.

Fickell was clearly trying to play the field position game with his offense struggling, and a punts of 30 and 11 yards aren't going to get the job done.

West is the Badgers' power punter for distance, while Atticus Bertrams is the coffin-corner specialist. Wisconsin did not get the leg they needed from West.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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