Connect with us

Michigan

Sorting Out the Brawl That Broke Out Between Michigan and Ohio State After The Game

Published

1 year ago

on

Sorting Out the Brawl That Broke Out Between Michigan and Ohio State After The Game


Unraveling the ugliness that unfolded after Michigan defeated Ohio State for the fourth straight year is as convoluted as the reasons for the outcome of The Game.

During a melancholy Carmen Ohio, Michigan players gathered around midfield and attempted to plant a team flag at the 50-yard line. Ohio State players heard cheers from Michigan fans, turned to see what was unfolding, and ran to meet the Michigan players, arriving just after the flag was stabbed into the ground. A melee ensued.

“I don’t know all the details of it, but I know that these guys are looking to put a flag on our field, and our guys weren’t going to let that happen,” Ryan Day said after the game. “I’ll find out exactly what happened, but this is our field. And certainly, we’re embarrassed at the fact that we lost the game, but there’s some prideful guys on this team that weren’t just going to let that happen.”

Several individual altercations can be seen in the mass of bodies at midfield. Ohio State safety Jaylen McClain (No. 18) stepped into a crowd of Michigan players and started throwing punches, then got punched himself and slammed to the ground by Michigan defensive end Cameron Brandt (91) with assistance from defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (78). Grant and Ohio State linebacker Gabe Powers (36) then grabbed at each other as Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun (1) struck at Grant. Ohio State defensive end JT Tuimoloau (44) followed to get involved in the shoving between McClain and Brandt, but was held back by tight end Patrick Gurd (49).

Ohio State cornerback Lorenzo Styles Jr. (3) was standing in a mass of players on the Michigan side when the altercation started, and got shoved toward the middle by Michigan defensive back Brandyn Hillman (6) with a melee following. Styles exchanged blows with Michigan defensive back Quinten Johnson (28) and running back Bryson Kudzdal (41). Johnson shoved Styles backward as an Ohio State staffer tried to break them up.

Advertisement

Michigan defensive back Jyaire Hill (35) grabbed a Gatorade bottle and threw it at McClain, hitting an Ohio State staffer in the head, then grabbed Styles by his nameplate and slammed him to the turf from behind. Ohio State tight end Bennett Christian (85) stepped in and delivered a punch to Johnson’s gut.

Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom (8) was pulled into a pile of Michigan players. Ohio State defensive tackle Eric Mensah (90) tried to step in and help, but he was shoved and pulled away by Michigan offensive lineman Raheem Anderson (62). Michigan defensive lineman Rayshaun Benny (26) leaped over the pile pinning Ransom down and threw a punch at Mensah but missed. Anderson pulled Mensah to the ground, exchanged jabs with an Ohio State staffer and backed away.

Ohio State and Michigan police officers arrived to try and break the brawl up, with help from additional local law enforcement. After both sides stayed at each other’s throats, throwing shoves and punches, officers deployed pepper spray on both sides.

Ohio State police released the following statement via X after the game:

Advertisement

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

The initial and main fight at midfield wasn’t the only one to break out. Several other skirmishes erupted about the field. Michigan defensive end Derrick Moore took the Block M flag and started parading it about the field looking to plant it again, but Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer ripped it from its staff. Cornerback Davison Igbinosun tried to collect it but Michigan staffer Jason Avant tucked it away and held onto it. More shoving and fighting followed.

Safety Brenten Jones (No. 32) and quarterback Devin Brown (33) led a crowd of Buckeyes who fought with Moore before Ohio State defensive end Dominic Kirks (55) shoved him back toward Michigan’s side, then Hillman (6) stepped in and threw a punch at Kirks. The altercation was at last broken up with help from Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles (6) and a few Michigan players including defensive back Zeke Berry (10). 

Michigan linebacker Jason Hewlett (44) can also be seen throwing a punch at Kirks as he surged into Michigan coaches and players. Ohio State cornerback Dianté Griffin (43) and Michigan defensive end Kechaun Bennett (52) grabbed each other’s jerseys and began to throw punches as they shoved back and forth.

Ohio State’s players stayed mum about the topic, as is probably advised. Quarterback Will Howard declined to comment, while linebacker Cody Simon said he didn’t see much of anything. 

“I heard the commotion late,” Simon said. “I ran in there. We want to stay together as a team. I don’t want to focus on anything about that. Just focusing on trying to regroup and we know there’s more season left for us.”

Advertisement

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore understood the emotions that started the brawl but didn’t condone the actions. He also took some responsibility for his team’s role in it.

“It was emotions on both sides,” Moore said. “I did see they had the flag and guys were waving it around, then their guys charged at us. There was emotion on both sides, (that) can’t happen. Rivalry games get heated, especially this one, it’s the biggest one in the country. So we’ve got to handle that better.”

On the field there was a mix of reactions. Some players knelt to pray.

Day simply looked on, shocked and stoic.

Advertisement

The Big Ten and NCAA have not yet released any statements regarding the altercation or potential punishments.





Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Michigan

How To Watch: Michigan Basketball vs Tennessee in the Elite 8

Published

12 hours ago

on

March 29, 2026

By

How To Watch: Michigan Basketball vs Tennessee in the Elite 8


The remainder of the bracket is going to be tough for the Michigan Wolverines, including Sunday’s tilt against the Tennessee Volunteers, but of the two options for the Elite Eight, this was the preferrable opponent. Analytics believe this squad is underseeded (No. 11 overall per Kenpom), but compared to the swarming defense of Iowa State, the Wolverines have to feel great about their chances of advancing to the Final Four.

The Vols lost four of their last six games heading into the NCAA Tournament, though were impressive against Miami (OH), Virginia, and Iowa State. Their defense is solid (11th) while the offense is productive (31st), perhaps making their No. 6 seed a little misleading. Still, Michigan is the better overall team here, and unfortunately the odds of a third straight year of losing to a No. 1 seed in the Elite Eight are quite high for Rick Barnes and company.

Elite Eight: No. 1 Michigan (34-3) vs. No. 6 Tennessee (25-11)

Date & Time: Sunday, March 29, 2:15 p.m. ET
Location: United Center, Chicago, IL
TV/Streaming: CBS

Advertisement

Oddly, this is the fourth Tournament meeting between these schools since 2010-11, with the prior three favoring the maize and blue. That first contest was a 30-point First Round blowout, followed by a narrow Michigan win in the 2013-14 Sweet Sixteen. The most recent edition was also a close one, with Hunter Dickinson and Eli Brooks each topping 20 points as the No. 11 Wolverines upset No. 3 Tennessee in the Second Round in 2021-22.

Tennessee 2PT Defense: 49.0% (63rd)

The most obvious path to victory for Michigan over Alabama was using its huge size advantage in the paint, yet both Aday Mara and Morez Johnson had games to forget. The bigs will get their chance for redemption on Sunday against a Tennessee defense that is much better than its SEC rival’s, yet is beatable down low. Weak hands and poor finishing will not work against this frontcourt, but the Wolverines have proven they can win physical battles all year.

As fun as March Roddy (Gayle) is, or the rapid emergence of Trey McKenney, Michigan will not win a national championship if it does not get substantial production from the Mara-Johnson duo. Enough others contributed against the Tide to still claim the win, and perhaps that could be possible again in the Elite Eight, but it would give a lot more confidence heading into the final weekend if these two could bounce back in a big way. The Vols have had issues fouling too, so being aggressive at the rim is a must.

Tennessee Offensive Rebounding: 45.1% (1st)

Advertisement

Yes, that is correct — Tennessee grabs nearly half of its own misses. With an effective field goal rate around 140th, this is less extreme than the Texas A&M gameplan last year, but surely no one will be caught sleeping after witnessing the Vols collect 53.3% (!!) of their opportunities against the Cyclones on Friday. Without basically any outside shooting, second-chance points are the only way this offense scores enough to keep it close.

However, since the Duke and Illinois games, the Wolverines have been pretty solid on the defensive glass and should feel capable of at least reducing the impact of Tennessee’s rebounding. The Michigan frontcourt can match up body-to-body, and this is another way Mara and Johnson can make huge contributions. Like Saint Louis and Alabama hitting threes, there will be frustrating stretches of elongated possessions, but the key is just getting enough rebounds to stop any torrent.

Tennessee Defensive 3PT Rate: 44.7% (33oth)

Few teams see more opposing three-point attempts than the Vols do, yet this rarely seems to burn them, as opponents connect on just 30.3% of their shots, which is 11th-best nationally. This resilience is going to be really tested by a Michigan offense that is making 47.3% of its threes in the Tournament thus far after a cold Big Ten Tournament. The touch could certainly cool off on Sunday, but is that a bet Tennessee really wants to take?

If the Wolverines can stay disciplined and keep taking the high-percentage looks, this should be a huge factor on Sunday. While I still would like to see the offense attack the paint, there are too many good shooters on the roster to not take advantage when the defense is passive. Should Barnes choose to start closing out on shooters, there will be paths open to the hoop. Though the metrics consider this a strong defense, it feels like there is an easy way Michigan blows this game open.

Advertisement

Tennessee Adj. Offense: 31st

As a whole, the Tennessee offense appears fine, but the analytics are actually kind of sour on most of the parts. Bad free throw shooting (286th) on modest attempts (103rd), too many turnovers (233rd), limited three-point attempts (329th), and a slow tempo (290th) make me wonder how anything actually happens aside from getting good second-chance looks on offensive rebounds.

Clearly that strategy has worked this year — and over the past two weekends — but the 24-point loss to Florida (with a 17.1% OReb rate) might tell the story of what happens against defenses with size. The best actual shooter is Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who has improved since his combined 6-for-22 effort in two games against Michigan last season, but aside from him and Nate Ament, there is little outside threat.

I do think there will be enough offensive rebounds and tough makes to avoid an instant blowout (though not off the table for the final score), and maybe the Vols’ three-point defense is real, but the ways Michigan can win are so much more numerous than the ways it can lose. Trust the better team to take care of business and move on to Indianapolis next weekend.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Michigan

Trey McKenney to return to Michigan Basketball next season, per report

Published

1 day ago

on

March 28, 2026

By

Trey McKenney to return to Michigan Basketball next season, per report


In the middle of what’s been an incredible season for the Michigan men’s basketball team, Dusty May and the program are now confirmed to be bringing back a big contributor for next season. According to a report from Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press, freshman guard Trey McKenney is set to be back with the Wolverines next year.

“We’re going to have a really talented team next year,” McKenney told Garcia. “I came in with a role this year and I think my role would definitely expand next year, so I’m definitely looking forward to coming back.”

McKenney joined the program this offseason as a prized five-star recruit in the Wolverines’ 2025 recruiting class. So far he’s lived up to the billing, coming off the bench to average 9.7 points per game, but shooting an impressive 38.5 percent from three-point range this year. He has already asserted himself as one of the team’s best shooters.

In addition to his offensive game, he’s gotten after it on the defensive end as well and has been regularly on the floor to close games this season. We’ve seen McKenney’s role slowly grow, especially in the absence of fellow guard L.J. Cason, who has missed the last month and is set to miss all of next season with an ACL tear.

Advertisement

By cementing his status with the program, McKenney is a great foundation for what the team hopes to build next season. He’ll likely step into a starting role as the Michigan’s shooting guard, while May and company also look to get players like Elliot Cadeau, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara back in the fold.

Michigan will get a shot to fill out the rest of its roster when the transfer portal opens up on April 7, just one day after the National Championship.

For now though, McKenney and the Wolverines will focus on punching their ticket to the Final Four for the first time since 2018 by defeating Tennessee on Sunday afternoon.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Michigan

Michigan women’s basketball vs. Louisville in Sweet 16: Time, TV, stream

Published

2 days ago

on

March 28, 2026

By

Michigan women’s basketball vs. Louisville in Sweet 16: Time, TV, stream


When the Sweet 16 continues on Saturday during the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament, Michigan women’s basketball (27-6) will continue its climb to reach the Final Four for the first time.

The Wolverines, who earned the No. 2 seed in the Fort Worth 3 Region, are playing in the program’s third Sweet 16 under head coach Kim Barnes Arico.

“We committed to Michigan to do this, and we committed to Coach Arico to do it for her and for each other,” Michigan guard Olivia Olson said. “We’re accomplishing the goals we set out to, and we’re not done yet. So we’re going to keep having fun with it and keep preparing.”

Advertisement

Michigan will take on No. 3 Louisville Cardinals (29-7) at 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

“This is my first time going to the Sweet 16, all of our first times, so I think the feeling of, we’re still dancing, we’re still playing basketball, it’s a great feeling,” Louisville guard Taj Roberts said.

The winner from Saturday’s matchup will play in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday, March 30, for the right to advance to the Final Four.

What time is Michigan vs. Louisville?

  • Date: Saturday, March 28
  • Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: Dickies Arena (Fort Worth, Texas)

The Michigan Wolverines will play the Louisville Cardinals in the Sweet 16 round of the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 28, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Michigan vs. Louisville: TV, streaming



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending