The most activity Raheem Anderson and Tavierre Dunlap enjoyed Saturday occurred after The Game, when the two teammates joined together to plant their giant Michigan flag in the center of Ohio Stadium.

The reaction from Ohio State players was predictable, inciting a type of ugly brawl rarely seen in the 127-year history of this great series.

If Ohio State and Michigan have been two of the standard bearers across college football for generations, then so they were again this weekend in ways no one should be proud to watch.

The Disease of Me, the social media generation of young adults trying to go viral spread to football fields across the country this weekend.

Disrespecting an opponent’s logo certainly isn’t new, but to watch at least four of them occur on the same day within hours of each other on rivalry weekend cannot be a coincidence.

The nation watched Anderson and Dunlap plant the Michigan flag after the Wolverines’ stunning 13-10 upset in the biggest of all the rivalry games.

Hours later, Arizona State’s Jacob Kongaika, a former Arizona defensive end before transferring, planted the Sun Devils’ spear in the center of Arizona’s logo.

Why? The Sun Devils entered as 9-point favorites and won by 42. Since when do the Globetrotters throw parades for beating the Washington Generals?

ASU plants the fork in Arizona Stadium 😈🔱@ASUFootball pic.twitter.com/F1sU4qJugA

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 30, 2024

Florida’s George Gumbs Jr. planted the flag on Florida State’s field after the Gators won 31-11, igniting another fight. Florida State coach Mike Norvell was the one to tear the flag out of the ground.

College football today 😳

Florida planted its flag on FSU’s field 😬 pic.twitter.com/zIs7AMVgRl

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 1, 2024

North Carolina State entered as a slight underdog on the road at North Carolina and celebrated its 35-30 win with an attempted flag plant at midfield. It ended similarly to Ohio State-Michigan with a brawl between the two teams.

There was little at stake, other than NC State’s becoming bowl-eligible. Part of the heightened emotions might have been because it was Mack Brown’s final home game at North Carolina, so Tar Heels players did not appreciate the show of disrespect on an important day.

Tempers flare when NC State tries to plant the flag at UNC. The Tar Heels won’t leave the logo until field is cleared. pic.twitter.com/am9FHOraf6

— TheWolfpackCentral (@NCStateRivals) December 1, 2024

Even Texas players headed toward the logo at Texas A&M after beating the Aggies 17-7. Safety Andrew Mukuba got a few stomps in before Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian rerouted his players back toward the end zone. And again, police were standing by to protect midfield.

There is a simple solution to all of this. The NCAA can fine teams and suspend any players who attempt to denigrate the logo, emblem or property of an opposing team.

Is it heavy-handed and childish? Perhaps. But so are the actions that led us here.

There certainly have been other moments similar to this in the Ohio State-Michigan series — Ohio State players tore down Michigan’s banner in 1973, David Boston and Charles Woodson scuffled on the opening series in 1997 — but none of the previous incidents involved police and pepper spray.

Talk about being heavy-handed. Police on the field began spraying players from both teams as things escalated, a wild overreaction and unnecessary use of force. Next time, let the coaches handle it. Coaches have been breaking up fights between teams for decades.

Ohio State police issued a statement confirming officers from Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray against the players. Just incredible.

USA: Brawl Erupts at Michigan-Ohio State Game After Wolverines Defeat OSU and Attempt to Plant Their Flag at Midfield! INSANE VIDEO! pic.twitter.com/7MouiL84ny

— News Of The Globe (@NewsOfEarthTr) November 30, 2024

There was a time when former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel spoke frequently about the respect Ohio State and Michigan shared for each other. It was a fierce rivalry, but it was usually clean. Fights and cheap shots were rarely part of it. Until now.

The Buckeyes had 60 minutes to fight on the field and chose to wait until after the game to throw their best punch. An embarrassing loss to a mediocre Michigan team Saturday officially stamps OSU coach Ryan Day as the new John Cooper — a good coach and an excellent recruiter who couldn’t beat his biggest rival. It also turned this rivalry to a degree we haven’t witnessed in 30 years.

Michigan won the last three games in this series with excellent teams that competed for national championships (and won one). This Wolverines team didn’t have a quarterback capable of throwing for even 100 yards — and it still won the game. Ohio State seniors who returned to school for the expressed purpose of winning this game now depart campus with nothing but a few more college credits.

GO DEEPER

Ryan Day went all in on beating Michigan — except when it mattered most

“For such a great game, you hate to see stuff like that after the game,” Michigan running back Kalel Mullings told the Fox broadcast crew moments after the players were separated. “It’s just bad for the sport, bad for college football. But at the end of the day, some people gotta learn how to lose, man. You can’t be fighting just because you lost the game.”

His Wolverines teammates could use a tutorial on how to win, too.

“You hate to see stuff like that after the game. It’s just bad for the sport, bad for CFB… They gotta learn how to lose man. You can’t be fighting.”@JennyTaft speaks with Michigan’s Kalel Mullings after a fight broke out between Ohio State and Michigan after the game ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/z6rmxu2YJQ

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 30, 2024

I’ll give Mullings the benefit of the doubt. In that moment, maybe he didn’t realize all the problems Anderson and Dunlap created for everybody else. Both are seniors who rarely play outside of special teams. Both are also Academic All-Big Ten selections, but the choice to take the flag to midfield and plant it after already winning the game and dominating this rivalry wasn’t exactly a dean’s list decision.

There is class in losing. There is class in winning, too.

“These guys are looking to put a flag on our field and our guys were not going to let that happen,” Day said. “This is our field and certainly we’re embarrassed at the fact we lost the game, but there’s some prideful guys on this team that weren’t going to just let that happen.”

GO DEEPER

College Football Playoff 2024 projections: What now for Ohio State? No. 3 seed Boise State?

Advertisement

Logos and emblems are sacred across sports. Denigrating them has been an instant firestarter for years.

Jackson State and Southern engaged in a similar fight three years ago when Jackson State players planted their flag on Southern’s logo after a win.

Michigan linebacker Devin Bush ran to midfield at Michigan State in 2018 and began stomping on the “S” while trying to tear out the turf with his cleats before a rivalry game.

Baker Mayfield planted Oklahoma’s giant flag at midfield of Ohio Stadium after a Sooners upset at Ohio State. Buckeyes players were already back in the locker room when Mayfield did it. They were on the field singing the alma mater when Michigan did it Saturday.

A healthy level of dislike between teams doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The professional levels have become too sanitized. Only a few genuine rivalries are left, and most are in college sports.

But certain actions immediately lead to fights. Flag planting is one of them.

“I had said two years ago that (flag planting) was disrespectful,” Brown said on his final night as North Carolina’s coach. “I said all week you need to compete, but you need to do it with composure. So it’s another learning experience. You can’t fight, but you’ve got to win the game.”

Sometimes, it’s up to the winners to act with composure, too.

The Pulse Newsletter

Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox.

Advertisement

Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox.

Sign Up

(Photo: Aaron J. Thornton / Getty Images)

Lamar Jackson seemed to find an edge against the Philadelphia Eagles with his ability to run the ball, but the Baltimore Ravens ultimately failed to come away with the victory on Sunday evening.

Jackson threw the ball 36 times – the most since an October loss to the Cleveland Browns, when he threw the ball 38 times. He ran the ball eight times for 76 yards.

He told reporters after the game he got an earful from his mother, Felicia Jones, about not running the ball more in the loss.

“My momma just told me that. She just cussed me out,” he said, via the Ravens’ website. “I’m mad. We’re going to get after it. I’m not going to lie to you, we’re going to get after it. I can’t wait for this bye to get on. We got the Giants coming up, I’m ready to go.

JOSH ALLEN MAKES NFL HISTORY AS BILLS CLINCH AFC EAST WITH WIN OVER 49ERS IN DRIVING SNOW

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, #8, scrambles with Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams, #93, chasing him during the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

“She said there were lanes I should have taken and ran. I was just trying to let guys develop routes. We had developing routes. I was just trying to go through my progression, but yeah, she [was] right.”

Jackson added he felt like the team left a lot of scoring on the table.

The reigning NFL MVP fell to 23-2 against the NFC as a starter.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson works out prior to an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

“The front just kept at it, that’s it. We didn’t keep a spy on him, we didn’t do anything extra,” Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Max Verstappen, fresh off of securing his fourth world championship, won the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday. Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri joined the Dutchman on the podium, drawing the constructors’ championship battle between McLaren and Ferrari closer heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

McLaren, which entered the race up 30 points on second-place Ferrari, stared down the possibility of winning its first constructors’ championship since 1998, needing to outscore Ferrari by 15 points on Sunday for it to be wrapped up in Qatar.

But with Lando Norris ending the day 10th after receiving a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, the gap now sits at 21 points between McLaren and Ferrari with one race to go on Dec. 8. Ferrari must out-score McLaren by 22 points at the Yas Marina Circuit to win its 17th constructors’ championship, most all-time in F1.

“Simply lovely, guys,” Verstappen said over the radio as he crossed the line. “What an unbelievable race again, that was really fun!”

The Qatar GP had a chaotic start, with a safety car coming out early after multiple collisions occurred. Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg were involved in a Turn 1 incident, while Alex Albon and Lance Stroll had a separate moment. Stroll took a 10-second penalty, which he served, but the Aston Martin driver later retired from the race.

At the restart, Piastri got the jump on Leclerc, an important moment for the constructors’ championship. By Lap 19, Norris and Piastri were second and fourth, while Leclerc and Carlos Sainz sat fifth and sixth. That would mean McLaren would only outscore Ferrari by 12 points, assuming none of the four drivers secured the fastest lap.

Mercedes’ George Russell was the first front-runner to pit, and it was a very slow seven-second pit stop. McLaren opted to keep Piastri out, and clean air helped his pace improve.

But the race completely changed around Lap 34. Both Lewis Hamilton and Sainz suffered punctures, triggering another safety car. Piastri had pitted just before the safety car, which meant he lost out to Leclerc, who pitted (along with the rest of the leaders) during the safety car period. Debris needed to be cleaned up during this stretch as well, such as the broken mirror on the start/finish straight.

Verstappen was still in the lead when the safety car ended, with Norris second, Leclerc third, Piastri fourth, and Sainz down in seventh. Norris and Verstappen battled at the restart, but the race didn’t stay at full speed. Hülkenberg ended up in the gravel, and Pérez reported losing drive before the restart. A third safety car was called. The same order remained at the restart, but Piastri reported seeing sparks coming from one of his tires, feeling a vibration.

What changed the constructors’ championship was Norris’ penalty. The stewards handed him a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for “failing to slow under yellow flags.”

This initially knocked him out of the points, ruining the Briton’s race and throwing a wrench in the constructors’ battle. Norris recovered for a points finish and secured the fastest lap, though not as big of a haul as it once looked for his team.

Meanwhile, Hamilton sped in pit lane and was handed a drive-through penalty. All of the chaos allowed teams in the midfield to score crucial points. Pierre Gasly helped Alpine’s fight for P6 in the team standings with a fifth-place finish, while Kevin Magnussen ended his day ninth. Zhou Guanyu brought home the first points finish of the year for Sauber, finishing eighth.

Here is how the top 10 finished.

1. Max Verstappen
2. Charles Leclerc
3. Oscar Piastri
4. George Russell
5. Pierre Gasly
6. Carlos Sainz
7. Fernando Alonso
8. Zhou Guanyu
9. Kevin Magnussen
10. Lando Norris

Top photo: Giuseppe CACACE / AFP