Badgers Fall 42-31 at Minnesota
November 24, 2001 | Football
Minnesota's Asad Abdul-Khaliq threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Golden Gophers to a 42-31 victory over Wisconsin Saturday afternoon at the Metrodome.
It was Minnesota's first win in the series with the Badgers since 1994 and gives the Golden Gophers possession of Paul Bunyan's Axe.
The Badgers finished their season 5-7 overall, 3-5 in Big Ten play. Minnesota closed its campaign with a 4-7 overall mark and a 2-6 conference ledger.
Wisconsin got record-breaking performances from junior WR Lee Evans and freshman RB Anthony Davis. Evans caught nine passes for 151 yards and broke the Big Ten record for receiving yardage in a season. Evans finished the season with 75 receptions for 1,545 yards and nine touchdowns, all school records.
Davis rushed for a career-high 208 yards on 29 carries and scored a career-high three touchdowns. It was his 10th 100-yard rushing performance of the season, setting a new NCAA record for 100-yard games by a freshman. Davis also finished the season with 1,466 yards on 291 carries and 11 touchdowns. He ranks behind only Wisconsin 's Ron Dayne (1,863 in 1996), Georgia's Herschel Walker (1,616 in 1980), Pittsburgh's Tony Dorsett (1,586 in 1973) and Indiana's Alex Smith (1,475 in 1994) among all-time NCAA single-season freshman rushers.
Anthony Davis opened the game's scoring by capping an 80-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run with 8:35 left in the first quarter. Minnesota responded right away on a 59-yard scoring strike from Abdul-Khaliq to Ben Utecht. Wisconsin answered, however, as Brooks Bollinger tallied on a four-yard run to make it 14-7 Wisconsin after the first quarter.
Minnesota's Thomas Tapeh opened the second-quarter scoring with an 18-yard touchdown run, and Utecht and Abdul-Khaliq hooked up for a 38-yard touchdown pass to give the Gophers a 21-14 lead with 10:53 left in the first half. Anthony Davis scored on a 61-yard run just three minutes later to tie the score at 21-21, but Minnesota's Marion Barber III gave the Gophers a 28-21 halftime lead.
Anthony Davis' one-yard scoring run and Mark Neuser 's 30-yard field goal put Wisconsin back in front, 31-28, late in the third quarter, but Abdul-Khaliq hit Ron Johnson for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 1:25 left in the third quarter and Abdul-Khaliq scored on a three-yard run midway through the fourth quarter to end the scoring.
Wisconsin outgained the Gophers 494-477 in total offense, but Minnesota held a time of possession advantage of 32:07-27:53. Bollinger completed 17-37 passes for 238 yards and an interception. Abdul-Khaliq was 17-25 for 265 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Minnesota's Tellis Redmon carried 18 times for 128 yards.
