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Flag-planting celebrations cause fights to break out in several heated college football rivalry games

Already intense clashes between rivals turned into intense confrontations

ian casselberry
Contributing writer
·5-min read
Florida State and Florida players scuffle at midfield after an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Colin Hackley)
Florida State and Florida players scuffle at midfield after the Gators' 31-11 victory in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Colin Hackley)

College football was a combat sport on rivalry Saturday.

Rivalry week matchups are always heated with tensions and resentments building. But four annual clashes ended with fights between opponents when the winning road team attempted to plant a flag on the home field of their adversary to punctuate a victory.

Each scuffle was notable for different reasons. But they were all provoked by similar sentiments. The victors wanted to make a statement, while the defeated wanted to protect their home turf and prevent further indignity.

The melee receiving the biggest spotlight occurred at the end of Michigan's 13-10 win over Ohio State in Columbus. Wolverines players brought a maize flag bearing the block "M" out to midfield and thrust it into the Ohio Stadium turf. The Buckeyes took exception to the gesture and confronted their opponents, resulting in several players pushing and shoving each other, with punches being thrown.

Unfortunately, what made the Michigan-Ohio State fight stand out was coaches, security personnel and police getting involved to break up the conflict. In the process, law enforcement officers used pepper spray to subdue players, with several bystanders also being affected.

Ohio State University Police issued a statement on social media saying the matter was being investigated.

"Following the game, officers from multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in breaking up an on-field altercation," the statement read. "During the scuffle, multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray. OSUPD is the lead agency for games & will continue to investigate."

A similar scuffle broke out after North Carolina State's 35-30 win over North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Following the victory, which made the Wolfpack bowl eligible, NC State players brought a red school flag to the middle of the field with the intention of planting it into the turf.

However, Tar Heels players confronted their opponents to stop them from spearing the flag into Kenan Memorial Stadium's field. Pushing and shoving quickly resulted and North Carolina's J.J. Jones (wearing the jersey of late teammate Tylee Craft) eventually took the flag and attempted to throw it into the stands. Wolfpack players DK Kaufman and Jacarrius Peak shoved Craft before coaches stepped in.

UNC coach Mack Brown, coaching his final regular season game with the Tar Heels after being fired earlier in the week, shared his thoughts on the altercation.

“I don’t know what happened in the end," Brown said, via The Fayetteville Observer. "Somebody said they tried to plant their flag on our field. I had said two years ago that was disrespectful.”

Coaches were more directly involved in the skirmish after Florida defeated Florida State, 31-11. Gators defensive end George Gumbs Jr. planted a black Florida flag into the grass at FSU's Doak Campbell Stadium. Florida State players led by Jeremiah Byers and Julian Armella ran to midfield to pull the flag out, which led to the two teams fighting.

Seminoles coach Mike Norvell got his hands on the flag and tossed it aside. He then confronted Florida coach Billy Napier and let his counterpart know that he didn't like what happened.

“I told him what I thought. They won the game — they have the right to celebrate just like we have in previous years,” Norvell said afterward, via Tomahawk Nation. “If you want to come do that, that is your decision you can have within the team — but I told him what I thought.”

Napier didn't endorse the flag-planting and apologized for the incident.

"Obviously what happened there at the end of the game is not who we want to be as a program," Napier said, via the Associated Press. "It's embarrassing to me and it's a distraction from a really well played football game. I want to apologize on behalf of the entire organization just in terms of how we represented the university there. We shouldn't have done that. We won't do that moving forward. And there will be consequences for all involved."

Many of Napier's fellow coaches might express similar sentiments to their players after what happened this weekend.

Flags weren't the only object planted by the victorious road team in a rivalry game on Saturday. After No. 16 Arizona State's 49-7 win over Arizona, Sun Devils defensive lineman Jacob Rich Kongaika — who played his previous two seasons with the Wildcats — took their mascot's signature pitchfork and stabbed it into the midfield logo at Arizona Stadium.

Arizona receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig ran over to pull the pitchfork out of the grass and away from Kongaika. That brought over several other Arizona State players to help their teammate and protect the pitchfork.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Wildcats running back Quali Conley said Kongaika's actions were "disrespectful."

"That's our field. Just doing that was disrespectful," Conley said. "I just feel like that was uncalled for."

Asked about the fight by PHNX Sports, Arizona State star running back Cam Skattebo said, "I didn't know that happened, but that's awesome."