Michigan-Ohio State Gets Chippy; Ref Gets Hit And Falls To The Ground During Scrum

The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is hands down the most intense in college football. Spare me the nonsense of how Alabama-Auburn or Texas-Oklahoma hold a candle to this matchup. When a rivalry is simply called "The Game," you know it's unlike any other.

It doesn’t take long for this game to get heated. Regardless of whether it's a top-5 matchup like last year or a year when one team (Ohio State) is clearly better than the other, it gets intense.

COLUMBUS - Will Howard #18 of the Ohio State Buckeyes carries the ball between Ernest Hausmann #15 and Makari Paige #7 of the Michigan Wolverines during the second quarter at Ohio Stadium on November 30, 2024. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

And sometimes, very ugly.

In the second quarter, Michigan held a shocking 7-3 lead, and Ohio State (or, as I should say, "That Team Down South," can you tell I’m riding with Big Blue?) was trying to answer. Quarterback Will Howard found stud wide receiver Jeremiah Smith for a six-yard gain on first down. Smith got tackled out of bounds (rather harmlessly, though slightly after the whistle), and that’s when things got ugly.

Lots of people on the Michigan sideline surrounded Smith, and fists soon started flying. Smith threw a punch at an assistant coach, and players from both sides engaged in what looked like a life-size, multiplayer version of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots.

The worst part of all this was that one of the referees trying to break up the scrum fell to the ground. As shown on the Fox Sports broadcast, the referee in question was on his back, and appeared to be unconscious (though that is not confirmed). Pardon the joke in this caption, its the only video I could find of the incident.

This game is going to be a dogfight to the finish. Buckle up, everyone - and let's hope no more refs get hurt.