MADISON, Wis. -- Veteran players helped rally No. 6 Wisconsin as the team marked senior day during its regular-season finale.

Senior running back Corey Clement rushed for two touchdowns and senior cornerback Sojourn Shelton collected two fourth-quarter interceptions to pace Wisconsin to a 31-17 Big Ten Conference win over Minnesota on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.

Senior safety Leo Musso, who also recorded an interception, delivered an impactful locker room talk at halftime to fire up his teammates. Wisconsin faced a 14-7 deficit and was attempting to beat Minnesota for the 13th straight time in a rivalry game in which the winner takes home Paul Bunyan's axe trophy.

"We knew what was on the line and (Musso) gave us a hell of a speech at halftime," Shelton said. "From there on out we came back.

"He told us: 'We don't want to lose that axe.' Pretty much we weren't playing our style of football. We weren't playing how we were capable of playing."

Defensive players had crucial impacts, as they have all season for Wisconsin. Junior linebacker Leon Jacobs and Shelton each had a fourth-quarter interception that led to Badgers touchdowns.

Momentum swung Wisconsin's way when Shelton intercepted Minnesota senior quarterback Mitch Leidner with 13:15 left in the fourth quarter. Shelton returned the pick 40 yards to the Minnesota 19-yard line. Three plays later, Clement dashed 2 yards for a score that tied the game at 17-17 with 11:58 remaining.

Junior running back Jazz Peavy was the catalyst on the next drive, rushing 71 yards to set up Clement's second touchdown. That score, with 6:42 to go, gave the Badgers their first lead at 24-17.

Jacobs intercepted Leidner's pass with 6:20 left and returned the ball to Minnesota's 8-yard line. One play later, senior running back Dare Ogunbowale rushed 8 yards for the score to put the game out of reach at 31-17 with 6:15 to go.

The victory was the sixth straight for the Badgers (10-2, 7-2), who clinched a share of the Big Ten West Division. Wisconsin faces Penn State in the Big Ten Championship on Dec. 3 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Clement finished with 26 carries for 100 yards to go with his two touchdowns.

Leidner completed 9 of 26 passes for 158 yards and four interceptions for Minnesota (8-4, 5-4). He also had 14 rushes for 46 yards and one score.

Minnesota coach Tracy Claeys said the Gophers were disappointed they didn't respond to Badgers' pressure in the second half.

"Turnovers are momentum swings, especially in close ball games," Claeys said. "The first one hurt the most because we probably had three points. We could have kept it up by 10 points and kept it to two scores. That one coming in the red zone took points off the board for us.

"They're all big. They give the crowd and the team energy. That's why good teams don't turn the ball over."

Sophomore kicker Emmit Carpenter put Minnesota on the scoreboard first with a 21-yard field goal that gave the Gophers a 3-0 lead at 10 minutes, 11 seconds of the first quarter.

Wisconsin made a switch at quarterback in the second quarter, substituting senior Bart Houston for sophomore starter Alex Hornibrook. Both quarterbacks played series in the second quarter.

Houston completed 9 of 14 passes for 124 yards.

The critical play during the Badgers' 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive was a 22-yard pass by Houston to freshman wide receiver Quintez Cephus to Minnesota's 8-yard line. Two plays later, sophomore fullback Alex Ingold's 1-yard scoring run put Wisconsin out front 7-3 at 9:19 of the second quarter. Officials reviewed the touchdown and concluded that Ingold's arm broke the plane of the goal line.

The Gophers quickly countered with a touchdown five seconds and one play later to take back the lead at 10-7. Sophomore KiAnte Hardin ran 69 yards on a kickoff return to Minnesota's 13-yard line. Leidner connected with senior wide receiver Drew Witarksy on a 13-yard TD pass at 9:05 of the second.

Leidner padded Minnesota's lead to 17-7 with a 3-yard touchdown run during a seven-play, 68-yard drive with 53 seconds remaining in the half.

Minnesota dominated Wisconsin in all facets in the first half, most notably on special teams and defense. Minnesota's defense only allowed 46 rushing yards to a Badgers team that typically relies on its run game.

Hornibrook, the starter, did not return to the game in the second half. He was thrown on his back on the Gophers' sideline in the second quarter. Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst did not give an update on Hornibrook's injury during an interview after the game.

NOTES: The Badgers win evens the victory records in the 126-game history of the rivalry between Wisconsin and Minnesota at 59 wins each. There have been eight games that ended in tie. ... The Badgers honored 13 seniors prior to Saturday's game. Prior to the Minnesota game, Badgers seniors had earned a 76.5 percent winning percentage in four seasons with a 39-12 record. ... Minnesota's last win against Wisconsin was a 37-34 home victory during the 2003 season, on a 35-yard field goal on the final play of the game.