Rivalry weekend in college football always promises fireworks but I don’t think anyone expected what unfolded this season in the last week of the regular season. With marquee matchups like Texas vs. Texas A&M, Michigan vs. Ohio State, and Florida vs. Florida State on the books, many expected heated and personal matchups but what we saw Saturday was unparalleled in recent memory.
Starting at noon with arguably the most intense rivalry in all of sports, “The Game” as it is commonly referred to between Michigan and Ohio State’s football teams. Since the turn of the century, both teams have usually been among the top ten and we’ve seen games for the ages between these two powerhouse programs.
Saturday’s game was supposed to be the pinnacle of Ohio State’s resurgence in the new NIL era after losing three straight matchups to the Jim Harbuagh-led Michigan squads. What unfolded only piqued the existing drama in the rivalry, with Ohio State losing at home to their rival after entering the game as 19.5-point favorites.
Following the game as both teams congregated around midfield, Michigan players attempted to place their school flag symbolizing the dominance Michigan has held over the Buckeyes in recent years. Ohio State players were not having that celebration at all which resulted in a UFC-type brawl involving almost the entirety of both teams, staff, and police.
Videos have emerged showing police using pepper spray to subdue the worst of the troublemakers and both sides decried the melee in postgame interviews. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said he would investigate the events that unfolded but did have an interesting post-game quote saying, “I'll find out what happened, but it's our field. Certainly, we’re embarrassed with the fact we lost the game, but there are some prideful guys that weren't just going to let that down.”
On the other side the player of the game for the Wolverines, running back Kalel Mullings gave one of the quotes of the year that’s sure to be bulletin board material for the Buckeyes in future years. Mullings had this to say about the post-game melee, “At the end of the day, some people got to learn how to lose. You can't be fighting and stuff just because you lost the game. We had 60 minutes, we had 4 quarters to do all that fighting. Now people want to talk and fight. That’s wrong. Classless in my opinion. People got to do better.”
Down south, rivalry brawls continued after South Carolina closed out a close and well-fought game against Clemson, sealing the game with an interception in front of their goal line with 13 seconds to play.
South Carolina players proceeded to plant their flag on the Clemson logo, sparking a round of fighting that included fans who had come down the field. Clemson allows fans to come down to field level post-game called “the Gathering at the Paw” which only exacerbated the scrum. Dabo Swinney said in his post-game press interviews that he plans to talk with SC head coach Shane Beamer and Clemson University leadership to change some of the traditions post-game including allowing fans to come down to the field level and the flag-planting celebration, which admittedly Clemson players did last year at SC following the Clemson victory.
Swinney also said, “I was dead in the middle of it and lucky to get out alive. It was scary, and it was dangerous, and we've got to make sure that doesn't happen again.”
Continuing the theme across college football in the later games, NC State versus UNC also involved a flag-planting fight that had increased personal stakes for the losing UNC side as it was legendary head coach Mac Brown’s last game before his assumed retirement following this week’s news of being fired as UNC head coach.
Down south in the Florida versus Florida State matchup, both head coaches had words with one another following Florida’s attempt to plant their flag at midfield. Florida State head coach Mike Norvell took expectation to the celebration and personally took the Florida flag down and threw it to the ground. Norvell and Florida head coach Billy Napier appeared to have a heated exchange prior to Norvell’s actions.
The common theme in every one of these incidents was the visiting team winning and attempting to plant their flag on the home team’s logo. As we saw Saturday for most players in America, this attempt at celebration is simply too far over the line especially done on the logo. Combined with the already high tensions of a classic rivalry game, this way of celebrating a victory is flat-out unsportsmanlike and will continue to result in brawls like the ones we saw Saturday that otherwise scarred a great day of football.
Changes are undoubtedly expected in the upcoming days as many coaches and AD’s have called for flag-planting to be banned under NCAA rules. While rivalry games are always intense, as they should be, I challenge all teams and players going forward to remember the prayer many of us have said or heard before games.
“Dear Lord, the battles we go through in life, We ask for a chance that is fair. A chance to equal our stride, A chance to do or dare. If we should win, let it be by the code, Faith and Honor held high. If we should lose, we’ll stand by the road, and cheer as the winners go by.”
