WATCH: Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck smears player's blood on his face after upset win over Washington

The Gophers coach smeared his linebacker's blood onto his own face following a dramatic road upset over the Huskies, sparking a wild postgame scene before a tough Big Ten stretch

Sep 27, 2026 at 12:48 pm ET • 1 min read

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck picked up a massive win over Washington with a 27-24 victory, and had a bizarre celebration afterwards with linebacker Maverick Baranowski. 

Baranowski told reporters that he was hit by a cleat on the last play of the game, causing him to bleed from his mouth. When Fleck came over to embrace the senior, he wiped his hand on Baranowski's face and wiped the blood on his own cheek. 

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

Without evaluating the historical accuracy of that statement, Fleck was right to celebrate after an emotional cross-country road victory, the first since 2024 for the Gophers. The Huskies were the first team out of the AP Top 25 last week, and the Gophers have struggled with high level competition for the past few years. 

The fifth-year senior Baranowski spent his entire career with Fleck and the Gophers, and recorded seven tackles, a sack and an interception in the victory. Quarterback Drake Lindsey threw for an efficient 204 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while the defense held the Huskies to only 40 yards rushing.

The win was much needed for Minnesota as they head into the heart of their Big Ten schedule. The Gophers host Michigan this week before playing a stretch of Iowa, Indiana, UCLA and Penn State later in the year.