Saturday’s college football rivalry games were among the most physical in recent memory, with multiple fights erupting in several high-profile matchups. Postgame brawls occurred in Michigan-Ohio State, Florida-Florida State, NC State-North Carolina, and Arizona-Arizona State, all sparked by the winning team planting its flag on the home team’s field. Additionally, a fight broke out in the end zone during BYU-Houston with minutes left in the fourth quarter after BYU extended its lead to double digits. While the Virginia Tech-Virginia game did not end in a fight, it began with one. During pregame warmups, players from both teams engaged in a scuffle on the sideline, though the cause of the altercation is unclear. Videos from the stands show a mix of pushing, shoving, and apparent punches before coaches and officials intervened after about 20 seconds.
The ACC fined both Virginia Tech and Virginia for their involvement in the pregame incident, stating that their actions violated the ACC Sportsmanship Policy. The fines will go to the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Fund. NC State and North Carolina also received similar fines and reprimands for their postgame brawl, which started when a few NC State players planted their flag on UNC’s field, prompting a North Carolina player to toss it into the stands. The altercation escalated into punches before being broken up by coaches and officials.
Leave a Reply