Saturday’s Ohio State-Michigan rivalry matchup was marred by a postgame brawl near midfield.
The melee started when a group of Michigan players attempted to plant the “M” flag on Ohio State’s midfield logo. Ohio State took offense, setting off a brawl that briefly spilled out of control and resulted in police using pepper spray to quell the disturbance.
“Following the game, officers from multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in breaking up an on-field altercation,” OSU police said after the game.
“During the scuffle, multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray. OSUPD is the lead agency for games & will continue to investigate.”
Incredibly, just several yards away from the fighting, a small group which Ohio State tight end Gee Scott Jr., two of his teammates and a Michigan player, gathered in prayer.
While the melee was going on between Michigan and Ohio State, Ryan Day looked on and two Buckeyes and a Wolverine huddled together to pray pic.twitter.com/Bz3DwV6Ua8
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) December 1, 2024
That’s pretty amazing video shared by 247Sports’ Brandon Marcello. Some things are bigger than sports for some players.
Both Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore were asked about the brawl postgame, with differing responses.
“I don’t know all the details of it, but I know these guys were looking to put a flag on our field and our guys were not going to let that happen,” Day said. “We’re embarrassed of the fact we lost, but there are some prideful guys on our team that weren’t going to let that happen.”
“Our guys, I didn’t see they had the flag, and guys were waving it around, and their guys charged us,” Moore said. “It was emotion on both sides. It can’t happen. Rivalry games get heated especially this one. It’s the biggest one in the country. We gotta handle that better.”
The win was Michigan’s fourth-straight against Ohio State, the first time they’ve won four in a row against their rivals since 1988-91.
The Buckeyes are not heading to the Big Ten Championship Game as a result, but could still qualify for the 12-team College Football Playoff, depending where the committee ranks them.
Related: Ryan Day Had Awful Response When Asked About Ohio State’s Brawl With Michigan