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CHARLOTTE, NC – Moments before being doused in a five-gallon tub of mayo, Minnesota coach PJ Fleck yelled “Make it a double!”
Then the 44-year-old coach pinned on Duke’s Mayo Bowl tie and — as his players looked on and chanted “Mayo! Mayo!” — was soaked on a chilly 40-degree night, a celebration that has become part of the game’s tradition.
“I told our players if they had 15 buckets out of it, I’d make all 15,” Fleck said. “It’s worth being the champion at the end of the year.”
Max Brosmer threw for 211 yards and a touchdown, Darius Taylor ran for 113 yards for a TD and also threw for a score, and the Golden Gophers extended their bowl game streak to eight with a 24-10 victory over Virginia Tech on Friday night.
Elijah Spencer had six catches for 81 yards and two TDs for Minnesota (8-5) and was named the game’s MVP after returning to Charlotte, where he played two seasons with the 49ers.
“It was a big time because I didn’t think I’d get another chance to play in front of all my friends and family,” Spencer said. “A lot of my friends and family haven’t seen me play since I went to Minnesota, so I could play in my backyard, hey, why not?”
Fleck said, “It’s a little ironic. And it’s a fitting end to his career. He had two really great years with us.”
It was another winning bowl game for Fleck – his sixth in a row in Minnesota.
“In the 2024-25 era, it’s really hard to build a team and bond a team, but it’s a lot easier when you have a group of people like these guys,” Fleck said.
Backup running back Collins Schlee ran for a touchdown and Ayden Greene had six catches for 115 yards for the Hokies (6-7). They have lost five of their last six bowl games.
The Golden Gophers outgained the Hokies 403-223.
Schlee and William Watson split time at quarterback for Virginia Tech, with neither passing for 100 yards.
The Hokies failed to get a first down on three drives under Watson, so coach Brent Pry switched to Schlee on and he provided the offense with a 67-yard strike to Greene to set up his own 3-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
But the Hokies couldn’t sustain the momentum.
Minnesota scored 21 straight points in the second quarter behind Spencer, who hauled in a 10-yard halfback pass from Taylor and a 12-yard TD toss over the middle from Brosmer on back-to-back possessions. Taylor then made it 21-7 when he raced around left end on a 28-yard run.
With Minnesota up 24-10, Dante Lovett intercepted Brosmer to give the Hokies the ball at the Minnesota 15 and one last chance at a comeback midway through the fourth quarter. But the Hokies couldn’t convert as Za’Quan Bryan intercepted Watson’s pass in the end zone, essentially sealing the game with 4:24 remaining.
“Offensively, we got into the red zone and couldn’t score,” Pry said. “We go down and we have to score.”
Takeaways
Minnesota: It took a while for the Golden Gophers to get going, but three touchdowns in the second quarter proved to be the difference. “It’s one of the great traditions of bowl games, and I hope we never give up on bowl games,” Fleck said of the mayo bath. “I think that’s what makes college bowl games special.”
Virginia Tech: The Hokies entered with 14 new starters — seven on each side of the ball — after several players either waived or entered the transfer portal leading into the game. “I’m hopeful and encouraged about where we are,” Pry said.
Bowl-record boot
Virginia Tech’s John Love made a bowl-record 60-yard field goal at the end of the first half.
Celebrity mascot
During the game, word leaked that there was a celebrity serving as “Tubby,” the game’s bowl mascot that resembles a large yellow and white jar of mayonnaise. It turned out to be hip-hop artist Flavor Flav, and his identity was revealed shortly after the game. It also helped with the mayo pour.
Stay in the box
Pry received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the second quarter when he ran down the sideline to the 15 – well outside the coach’s box – to argue the call with the officials. “We’re going to fight for every inch and I thought there were a couple of calls that I thought were missed,” Pry said.
