College football was filled with flags on Saturday, but not the ones thrown by officials — these were flags planted by players in the middle of the field.
Michigan, North Carolina State, and Florida celebrated their road victories by planting flags on the logos in their rivals’ stadiums. Arizona State added its own twist, using a trident.
The results were expected.
After Michigan’s 13-10 win over Ohio State, several Wolverines tried to plant their flag at the center of Ohio Stadium in Columbus, leading to a scuffle. A similar scene occurred in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, when at least one N.C. State player attempted to plant a Wolfpack flag on UNC’s field after a 35-30 victory. Another fight broke out in Tallahassee, Florida, when Florida Gators edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. planted a flag on Florida State’s logo after a 31-11 win.
“Obviously what happened there at the end of the game is not who we want to be as a program,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “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.”
Arizona State defensive lineman Jacob Rich Kongaika tried to plant a trident at the center of Arizona’s logo after a 49-7 win over the Wildcats. Kongaika, an Arizona transfer, held on as Arizona wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig tried to take the trident away. Both players were surrounded by others from both teams.
A scuffle also took place after Missouri’s 28-21 victory over Arkansas, but it didn’t involve any props.
Police in Ohio used pepper spray to break up the fight between players, who were throwing punches and shoving each other, which overshadowed Michigan’s win. One officer was injured and taken to the hospital, according to a police union official.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he understood why his players acted the way they did.
“There are some prideful guys on our team who weren’t going to sit back and let that happen,” Day said.
Michigan running back Kalel Mullings expressed that he didn’t like how Ohio State players got involved in the Wolverines’ postgame celebration, calling it “classless.”
