The Minnesota Golden Gophers have battled the Wisconsin Badgers in college football for 113 consecutive years.  That amazing streak will come to an end in 2020 due to the pandemic.

According to multiple sources, including ESPN.com, the game which was scheduled for this Saturday had to be cancelled by Minnesota due to several COVID-19 cases within the football program.

The Golden Gophers nearly had their game cancelled last Friday against Purdue as they had 20 players sit out because of a combination of injuries and COVID-19 issues.  The Gophers won the game 34-31 and has since held a virtual practice to prepare for the Wisconsin game.

However, Minnesota had nine student-athletes and six staff members test positive for COVID-19 in the past five days. There were additional presumptive positives tests Tuesday, and the program is awaiting confirmation of those results.

Therefore, Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle, president Joan Gabel and athletics medical director Dr. Brad Nelson met with officials from the Big Ten Conference and ultimately decided to pause all football related activities.

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Per Big Ten policy, the game will not be rescheduled.  This marks the third game involving the Wisconsin Badgers to be cancelled during this challenging season.  They've already lost opportunities to play Nebraska and Purdue due to COVID-19 issues within their own program.

Now that Minnesota will not be able to play Wisconsin, the longest uninterrupted series in FBS history will sadly come to an end after 113 years.  Also coming to an end is the annual battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe, the traveling trophy the two teams have played for every year since 1948.  Hopefully, 2021 will provide the opportunity to begin the traditions once again.

 

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