P.J. Fleck gets mayo bath after Gophers win Duke’s Mayo Bowl, 24-10

P.J. Fleck doused with mayo after Gophers win Duke's Mayo Bowl 24-10

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck got doused with mayonnaise after the Minnesota beat Virginia Tech 24-10 in the Duke's Mayo Bowl Friday night. FOX 9's Pierre Noujaim got instant reaction from Fleck after the mayo bath.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team finished the 2024 season three days into 2025 with a 24-10 win over Virginia Tech in the Duke's Mayo Bowl Friday night, and P.J. Fleck got his celebratory mayo bath after the game.

The bowl game revealed Flavor Flav as its celebrity guest before Fleck sat down. He briefly put on a shower cap before getting booed, then took it off and tossed it aside. Fleck then braced for a Gatorade jug-sized dousing of Duke's mayonnaise before fully leaning in.

Was it everything he thought it would be?

"Everything and more, it really was. That was the most interesting feeling that I think I’ve ever had in my entire life. I had one of the most exhilarating experiences in the Nascar, that was one of the most unique things I’ve ever done in my entire life," Fleck said. "I’ll do anything for these guys. We didn’t play our best game of the year, but it was gritty and it was tough."

Mayo on Dilly bar?

ESPN announcer's dry heave: If the goal of the game was to promote Duke’s mayonnaise, they took an interesting approach. The ESPN broadcast crew sampled several foods with Duke’s products during the first half, including a mayo and banana sandwich. They also tried mayo on a Dilly bar, and that went just as you would expect it to.

Play-by-play voice Matt Barrie took two bites, immediately spit it into a garbage can, can be heard dry heaving and says, "Dude, that is awful!"

Color commentator Aaron Murray said, "It's really not that bad!"

Barrie responded, "What is wrong with you? That was hideous!"

Gophers players react to winning Duke's Mayo Bowl 24-10

Gophers players Darius Taylor, Anthony Smith and Max Brosmer react after a 24-10 win over Virginia Tech Friday night in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.

Elijah Spencer, Darius Taylor, defense lead Gophers to win

What happened: The Gophers got down 7-0 in the first quarter, but responded with a pair of touchdowns from receiver Elijah Spencer in the second quarter. Darius Taylor hit Spencer on a halfback pass to tie the game 7-7. Max Brosmer later hit Spencer from 12 yards out to give Minnesota a 14-7 lead.

Anthony Smith and Jack Henderson added second quarter sacks, and Darius Taylor added a 28-yard touchdown run to give the Gophers a 21-10 lead over the Hokies at the half.

Mark Crawford, Dragan Kesich react to Gophers bowl victory

Gophers punter Mark Crawford and kicker Dragan Kesich react after a 24-10 win over Virginia Tech Friday night in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.

Minnesota got second half sacks from Maverick Baranowski, Devon Williams and Danny Striggow to finish with five for the game, a season-high. They also forced a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter, and got an interception from Kerry Brown.

Dragan Kesich added a 44-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, and Taylor had 20 carries for 113 yards and a score for the Gophers. He also had a passing touchdown. Spencer finished with six catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns. In his final game as Gophers' quarterback, Max Brosmer threw for 211 yards and one touchdown.

Minnesota finishes the season 8-5, and improves to 6-0 in bowl games under P.J. Fleck.

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