College football’s rivalry week got pretty testy on Saturday. Perhaps even more than usual.
It all started with a full-on brawl between Ohio State and Michigan at midfield following the Buckeyes’ fourth consecutive loss to their bitter rivals. The postgame altercation was ignited when a group of Wolverines players decided to plant the Michigan flag on the 50-yard line of the Ohio Stadium field. Several Ohio State players took exception to the act, resulting in a minutes-long skirmish between the two sides.
Eventually, the ugly scene was broken up by police, some of which deployed pepper spray in an effort to disperse the players.
Bad blood was not exclusive to Ohio State and Michigan, however. As expected, some other longstanding rivalries featured their fair share of extracurricular activity. The Iron Bowl between Auburn and Alabama had plenty of action after the whistle, and the long-awaited renewal of the Lone Star Showdown between Texas and Texas A&M saw those two schools picking up right where they left off in 2011.
And with the Longhorns beating the Aggies in College Station again, thirteen years after the two schools last played, some Texas players wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate on the A&M logo. ESPN’s lead college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit and his partner, play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler, had apparently both seen enough of that throughout the day.
“No need for that. We can celebrate in other areas. That’s how you handle that.”
“Take your victory and flip it forward. And play for bigger things now.”
Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler praise Texas coach Steve Sarkisian for pulling his team away from the Texas A&M logo. pic.twitter.com/H6wqfZOnRd
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 1, 2024
“Good job by [Steve] Sark[isian],” Herbstreit began as the Texas coach ushered his players toward the locker room. “Off the logo. Here we go. Off the logo. No need for that. We can celebrate in other areas. That’s how you handle that.”
“Police are also protecting that logo, if you’ll notice,” Fowler replied. “Take your victory and flip it forward. And play for bigger things now.”
Postgame celebrations were the theme of the day. Earlier, Herbstreit had called the scuffle between Ohio State and Michigan “classless on both sides.” And by the time Texas secured victory late Saturday night, there’s no doubt that players, coaches, and fans were all fully aware of what had happened at other games earlier. It was smart of Sarkisian to be proactive about the situation.
Texas will now set its eyes toward the SEC Championship Game against Georgia, with the winner able to secure a first round bye in the expanded College Football Playoff. As big as renewing the Lone Star Showdown must’ve felt in the moment, most players would likely agree with Fowler that there are now “bigger things” to play for.
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About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.