Minnesota had just pulled off one of its biggest road wins in years, beating Washington 27-24 in a game that came down to the final play. Head Coach P.J. Fleck’s celebration afterward, however, was something to be intrigued by. 

As the players were returning to the tunnel after the win, Fleck embraced linebacker Maverick Baranowski, noticed blood coming from his player’s mouth, and wiped it across his own cheeks.

“Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck is FIRED UP after beating Washington,” captioned Fox College Football, which captured the scene and posted it on X.

Baranowski had been hit by a cleat on the final play of the game, leaving him bleeding from the mouth as Minnesota celebrated the victory, which can be seen in the clip. But Baranowski wasn’t exactly surprised by the coach’s gesture.

“He’s a crazy man,” the linebacker said afterward. Fleck had his own explanation for what he had just done.

“Blood brother,” Fleck said. “Back in the day, I’m sure that’s what they did, the frontiersmen out West. Little blood on there, I guess.”

The coach still had traces of Baranowski’s blood on his white sleeve after the game, but the moment was less about the blood itself than what Baranowski represented to him. 

The linebacker has spent his entire career at Minnesota and has become one of the leaders of a defense that just helped the Gophers win their first road game since beating Wisconsin on November 29, 2024.

“If Blake Cashman and Robert Spillane had a baby, you’d produce Maverick,” Fleck said in the post-game presser. “The kid loves the game, plays the game the right way. He is the heartbeat of our defense and our team.”

Receiver Javon Tracy saw the whole thing unfold and admitted he wanted no part of it.

“I would never do that, but P.J. — he’s different, man,” Tracy said. “Like, he’s crazy.”

For Fleck, though, the moment came at the end of a game in which his team had spent four quarters playing exactly the kind of football he wanted from it.

Baranowski’s biggest contribution came on a Washington possession when Anthony Smith’s pressure forced Williams into a mistake. Baranowski read the throw and came away with the interception, giving Minnesota a chance to strike immediately. 

Next, the Gophers took advantage, with Drake Lindsey connecting with Quayd Hendryx for a 15-yard touchdown on the following snap. Baranowski finished the night with seven tackles and a sack as well.

Minnesota’s defense dominated for most of the night, racking up seven sacks on Williams and two interceptions, while the Huskies could barely get anything going on the ground, managing just 40 rushing yards on 27 carries.

That pressure mattered even more once Washington found their way back into it. Minnesota had jumped out to a 24-7 lead thanks to Lindsey, but the Huskies’ offense woke up in the fourth quarter after grabbing an interception.

Williams hit a couple of 26-yard throws before connecting with Baron Naone for a 15-yard touchdown, trimming Minnesota’s lead to 24-17 with 11:03 left on the clock.

Minnesota answered right back with a 51-yard field goal off the foot of Luke Drzewiecki, but Washington wasn’t done. Williams punched one in himself on a 13-yard touchdown run with 1:53 remaining, turning it into a three-point game. Minnesota managed to hang on, though, and Baranowski came up big on that final defensive stand.

The Gophers entered the night looking for their first road win in nearly two years, and they left with one against a Washington team that had not lost at home before Saturday. It was also the first Big Ten game of the season for both teams.

That made the emotion afterward understandable, even if Fleck’s way of showing it was difficult to miss. Baranowski said the result meant even more because of the relationship he has built with Fleck during his five years at Minnesota.

“It’s a great moment,” Baranowski said. “Winning’s hard in the Big Ten, and when you get to win at a place like this, just so exciting and get to enjoy that with all my teammates and my head coach always having my back for the last five years. I love that guy more than anyone, and an awesome opportunity to share that moment with him.”

Minnesota’s defense delivered when it mattered the most

Fleck had spent the week challenging his defense to play with more physicality after feeling it had not been aggressive enough in Minnesota’s previous win over Akron. The response came against Washington. 

The defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, the Gophers repeatedly got to Williams, and Minnesota found a way to survive a fourth-quarter fight.

By the time the final play ended, Baranowski was bleeding and Fleck was celebrating with him. The coach could have simply hugged one of his senior leaders and walked away. Instead, he saw the blood, wiped it across his own face, and called Baranowski his “blood brother.”

After this, their record has climbed to 3-1, with the one loss against Mississippi State in Week 2. Next is their home game against the Michigan Wolverines on October 3. 

For a coach who had spent the entire night demanding his team play with some fight, it was about as far as Fleck went to celebrate the biggest road win Minnesota has had in a while.