A fight broke out at midfield after Michigan stunned No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday as Wolverines players attempted to plant their flag and were met by Buckeyes who confronted them.
Police had to use pepper spray to break up the players, who threw punches and shoves in the melee that overshadowed the rivalry game.
Ohio State police said in a statement “multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray.” Ohio State police will investigate the fight, according to the statement.
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After the Ohio State players confronted their bitter rivals at midfield, defensive end Jack Sawyer grabbed the top of the Wolverines' flag and ripped it off the pole as the brawl moved toward the Michigan bench. Eventually, police officers rushed into the ugly scene.
An on-field view of the Michigan flag plant and the altercation with Ohio State that followed ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/If9Ng7ecW0
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Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he understood the actions of his players.
“There are some prideful guys on our team who weren't going to sit back and let that happen,” Day said.
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The two Ohio State players made available after the game brushed off questions about it.
Michigan running back Kalel Mullings, who rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown, didn't like how the Buckeyes players involved themselves in the Wolverines' postgame celebration. He called it “classless.”
“For such a great game, you hate to see stuff like that after the game," he said in an on-field interview with Fox Sports. “It’s just bad for the sport, bad for college football. But at the end of the day, you know some people got to — they got to learn how to lose, man. ... We had 60 minutes, we had four quarters, to do all that fighting.”
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said everybody needs to do better.
“So much emotions on both sides," he said. "Rivalry games get heated, especially this one. It’s the biggest one in the country, so we got to handle that better.”