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| Police Intervene (right) as UM-OSU Clash Escalates (USA Today) |
A few thoughts on last Saturday's "disturbance" in Columbus, Ohio, following that inconceivable Michigan-Ohio State contest.
In the immediate aftermath of the skirmish –– the one after the game, not the game itself –– a barrage of TV analysts, college football "experts," fans and U of M haters raced to brand the incident. "Embarrassing," "Disgusting," "Humiliating" were among the disparaging adjectives spewing from the social media machine.
Almost all the pundits had one thing in common: they were grownups.
Am I attempting to rationalize that wild and violent confrontation, or act as an apologist for it? By no means whatsoever, even though I am Michigan born and bred and if you prick my finger it's possible some maize could trickle out. But let's all take a deep breath, step back and review that moment, shall we?
For one, we ascribe way too much maturity to a bunch of overmuscled, elevated and celebrated young jocks, most of whom are barely out of their teens and have yet to hold a real job. (Unless you count NIL.) Because we see them on national TV during the same fall weekends as the NFL, we tend to mentally perceive them as emotional equals to veteran professionals.
This just in: they are not.
Second, most of them have lived in, or heard of, the OSU-Michigan rivalry from the time they were infants. It's "THE GAME." It has been implanted in their psyche. Both teams freely admit they begin planning for that November showdown during their summer training camps. It's practically all the players and coaches hear about from their rabid fan bases and the media all season long. No game means more to either side.
The Buckeyes had lost to the Wolverines three straight seasons, but this was the year Ohio State would exact its sweet revenge. They had blitzed through the regular season, losing only once to upstart B1G newcomer Oregon, while Michigan, under new head coach Sherrone Moore and a totally rebuilt team, was struggling to remain above .500.
Michigan came into Saturday's clash as a THREE TOUCHDOWN underdog. Three touchdowns! Given the history of the rivalry, that's almost incomprehensible. Ohio State, it seemed, could literally pick any final score it desired.
That is, until they were outplayed and lost. The final score: 13-10, U-M.
Now, many of us can't even remember being 19 or 21, but can you imagine being that age and getting told for months by everyone outside your enclave of teammates that there is absolutely NO WAY you can accomplish a goal, then pulling it off anyway? Honestly, I don't think I can.
I'm willing to bet the Michigan starters were too exhausted and filled with euphoria, adrenaline and testosterone to even think about pulling an act of mischief. But two backup players, running back Tavierre Dunlap and offensive lineman Raheem Anderson, had nothing but time and energy on their hands and thought it would an outstanding idea to add insult to defeat by planting a block "M" flag at the 50-yard line.
Kids.
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| OSU Players Saw Blue, Then Saw Red (CBS Sports) |
Ohio State players were literally protecting their turf, and responded predictably. Did they overreact? That's open to further discussion. But it's notable that OSU Head Coach Ryan Day, possibly still in shock over the final score, had to ask someone what was happening on the field he was standing next to rather that leaping in to protect and control his players.
The pepper spray used on the field by law enforcement personnel seemed a bit of overkill, but I wasn't in the middle of the melee. And on Sunday, the Big Ten fined both schools –– that's BOTH schools –– $100,000 each. An embarrassment tax, if you will. But the league did not suspend anyone from either institution. A little adult supervision beyond Xs and Os might have been appropriate, but can you imagine Moore instructing his team before the game, "Now, after we win today, I don't want ANYONE planting our flag on the field!"
You can't overhype a bunch of young people for months, then expect them not to overreact when the moment they've been waiting for finally arrives. Ask any parent. And I couldn't help but notice as I watched other televised regional "Rivalry Games" that day, brawls broke out during Alabama vs. Auburn, North Carolina vs. NC State, Arizona vs. Arizona State –– even holy rolling Brigham Young University threw a few haymakers during its game against the University of Houston, leading to ejections on both sides.
Michigan-Ohio State received the greatest notoriety because it was "THE GAME" and the biggest clash of the day, both during and after the contest. But it was not an isolated incident.
When you plant a flag on your enemy's turf, you better make sure the other side feels completely defeated. Otherwise, conflict is almost guaranteed.
Was it a stupid act? Oh, undoubtedly. Was it preventable? If OSU had handled its business, it never could even have been considered.
But was it predictable? Consider the circumstances all around that moment. What do you think?
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