PJ Fleck was feeling good Friday afternoon after his Minnesota Gophers defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 24-7 to regain possession of Paul Bunyan’s Axe in a rivalry series that dates back to 1890. It’s the fourth time that Fleck’s Gophers have beaten Wisconsin since he took the reins of the program in 2017.

The victory for Fleck and Minnesota also clinches their sixth winning season in eight years under his direction.

For Fleck, watching his players run around Madison’s Camp Randall Stadium with Paul Bunyan’s Axe was a pretty good 44th birthday present, and he was amped up to tell the CBS audience about how his team rallied to end their regular season on a high note.

“When you play for each other, it’s special,” Fleck said. “… In a day like this, with the temperatures, those hits needed to sting, and I think we accomplished that.”

Minnesota entered this game with the 15th-best scoring defense in the country, allowing just 18.5 points per game. Against Wisconsin, that average only got better.

The Gophers finish the regular season at 7-5 and should get placed in a decent non-CFP bowl game. Along the way, Minnesota beat two ranked teams this season and went 5-4 in Big Ten play.