MINNEAPOLIS -- Linebacker Ron Goetz returned an interception 73 yards for a touchdown as Minnesota beat Wisconsin 24-22 Saturday.
Goetz picked off Lionell Crawford's pass intended for Robert Williams and lumbered down the left sidelines for the score.
The touchdown came less than two minutes after Minnesota moved ahead 17-14 on a 17-yard TD pass from Scott Schaffner to Chris Gaiters.
The Badgers struck back quickly, moving 80 yards in six plays capped by Williams' 6-yard TD run. Williams, who ran the two-point conversion, also had the key play in the drive with a 27 yard run to the Minnesota 11.
The Badgers had a chance to win in the final two minutes when they stopped Minnesota on downs and moved to the Gopher 44 before losing the ball on downs.
The victory gave Minnesota a 3-2 Big Ten record (5-3 overall) while Wisconsin fell to 1-4 in the conference and 2-6 overall.
Williams gained 129 yards on 21 carries while the Gophers' Darrell Thompson led all rushers with 32 attempts for 143 yards.
Starting at their own 14, Minnesota went 86 yards in 11 plays for a 7-0 lead at 10:20 of the first quarter.
Thompson accounted for 38 yards on 8 carries in the march including a 1-yard run for the TD. But the two big plays in the march were a 25-yard pass from Schaffner to Gaiters and Kevin Grant's flanker reverse which gained 18 to the Badger 1.
Wisconsin tied it 7-7 with only 38 seconds left in the first half on Crawford's 2-yard run.
Hunt got the drive started gaining 22 yards in 3 carries before Crawford hit Hudson for 8 on a third down and seven from Minnesota 37. Crawford added 9 and then 8 on keepers and the inside running of Hunt and Freeman got the Badgers to the Minnesota 2.
Minnesota regained the lead at the gun on Berglund's 39-yard field goal.
Gaiters gained 11 on a fake flanker pass before Schaffer hit Pat Tinglehoff for 28. Two plays later Tinglehoff dropped a Schaffner pass in the end zone. The Badgers called three straight timeouts trying to unnerve Berglund but he made his kick easily.
