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Bret Bielema called it a “crazy game.” Those familiar with the Wisconsin-Minnesota rivalry — the most-played matchup in all of FBS college football — should have expected nothing less.

Sparked by a pair of fourth-quarter safeties in the span of 2:29, the Badgers (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) were able to overcome three first-half turnovers and a 14-point deficit to beat the visiting Golden Gophers (7-4, 3-4 Big Ten) 35-32. They were able to keep Paul Bunyan’s Axe in Madison for the fifth straight season.

“It doesn’t matter what the [records are], it’s always a close came [against Minnesota],” junior quarterback Dustin Sherer said. “We knew it was going to be [close]. We got down with three turnovers but came back and played well.”

Down 24-17 in the fourth quarter, Sherer piloted a 75-yard touchdown drive, culminating in a 1-yard P.J. Hill touchdown run, his second of the quarter. Hill’s score came one play after Isaac Anderson’s 39-yard reception was initially called a touchdown, but was overturned after review.

“Man, I thought I had my first [career touchdown], but it was good to make the play and get us down there in a position to score, so that was the main thing,” Anderson said.

The junior finished with a career-high 114 yards on six catches.

On the ensuing kickoff, Wisconsin’s Antonio Fenelus forced a Troy Stoudermire fumble. Devin Smith had a chance to recover the ball for a touchdown, but it squirted away from him and out of the end zone for a safety.

“I thought we had a chance get on that ball in the end zone to get seven points instead of two, but that’s just a head coach being greedy,” Bielema said.

After a Brad Nortman punt was downed on the Minnesota 7-yard line, senior tackle Mike Newkirk had a pair of Adam Weber sacks, the second of which was in the end zone for another Wisconsin safety, giving the Badgers a four-point lead.

“[Newkirk] getting that sack, that was a big play, especially as a senior,” defensive end O’Brien Schofield said. “I was very proud of him.”

“I knew I had to make a play,” Newkirk added. “I actually broke my responsibility in the defense. I felt that the center overset me. I fought back across his face, but all the credit goes to the defensive ends. [Weber] tried to get away, but he had nowhere to go but right at me.”

Freshman running back John Clay added a 5-yard touchdown to extend the Wisconsin lead to 35-24. The Gophers cut the deficit to three points after a Shady Salamon 13-yard touchdown reception and two-point conversion, but a Niles Brinkley interception on Minnesota’s final drive sealed the victory for the Badgers.

“It’s four quarters of football, and we knew it wasn’t going to be over early,” Schofield said. “We weren’t going to give up on the ax that easy. It was really vital that everybody executed and paid attention to detail in the second half.”

As impressive as Wisconsin’s second half was, its first two quarters were equally as sloppy. The Badgers scored on their first possession of the game on a fourth-down connection from Sherer to tight end Garrett Graham from the 2-yard line. But during the next 27 minutes of football, the Gophers outscored the Badgers 21-0.

Weber accounted for all three Minnesota touchdowns during that span, including a 43-yard strike to a wide-open Brodrick Smith. Weber torched the Wisconsin secondary for 116 yards in the first half, but was limited to just six yards in the third quarter, when the game really started to turn around.

“The biggest thing about being a [defensive back] is having short-term memory, and that’s what we did,” safety Chris Maragos said. “We went out there and we were confident and we executed when we needed to.”

Hill and Clay each had drive-killing, first-half fumbles that contributed to the 21-7 halftime deficit. But despite a disappointing start, the Badgers remained calm in the locker room.

“There was no sense of panic,” Hill said. “It’s four quarters of football. It went their way in the first half and it went our way in the second half. All phases of [our] game were playing very well.”

The third Wisconsin first-half turnover came late in the second quarter, when Kyle Jefferson was hit by Minnesota linebacker Simoni Lawrence over the middle. Jefferson was unconscious when the UW medical staff reached him. He left the game in an ambulance, but was able move his limbs and speak by the time he was leaving the field.

“Tests have come back negative for anything they were concerned about,” Bielema said.

Sherer led the Badgers down the field on the first possession of the second half. Freshman Philip Welch hit a 47-yard field goal to cut the Gopher lead to 21-10. Sherer had 84 of his 242 passing yards and Hill had 64 of his 117 total rushing yards in the 14-point third-quarter. It was Hill’s third straight 100-yard effort.

“The guys up front, they did a good job opening up a lot holes,” Hill said. “I tell them, ‘You do your job and just let me go to work,’ and that’s what it turned out to be.”

With the win the Badgers become bowl-eligible with only one game remaining on their schedule. But more importantly, the ax will remain at home for one more year.

“We had the ax in our possession; we knew they wanted it, but we weren’t going to let it happen,” Hill said.

“It’s exciting for us,” Sherer added. “We’ve got to finish our business next week, and then we’ll see what happens.”