Tulsa and MSU brawling, coaches and police unsuccessfully tried to break it up. Both teams throwing punches. I saw one MSU player kick a Tulsa player when he was in the ground after that same Tulsa player was throwing punches. Helmets off. Totally nuts. Borderline if not over the line criminal behavior. https://youtu.be/l5j6Z4tqMFQ
I didn't tune in until later in the first quarter and didn't see anything that would have had me believe the powder keg was lit but the announcers said there was a lot of jawing pregame. Generally an officiating crew can see trouble brewing and I know my crew has gotten it right in keeping a lid on things; and we have also gotten it wrong by letting things slide early in a game and ending up in punches thrown and ejections. However I've never seen what I just saw to end this game at any level. Helmets off, haymakers thrown, players on the ground being punched and stomped. I'm sure it has happened before but I have never seen it.
Ugly end to Armed Forces Bowl
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Ugly end to Armed Forces Bowl
Fan since 1974 living in Phelps seeing the upper bowl of Tulane Stadium
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Re: Ugly end to Armed Forces Bowl
If I had to guess, it was a combination of letting out the frustrations of an "unusual" year, coupled with MSU probably feeling that, being an SEC school, they deserved better than "some no-name AAC team", and Tulsa feeling that, as a participant in a "P6" conference championship game, they deserved better than a 4-7, last-in-their-division team that only got into a bowl because of COVID and the perceived power of their conference. I'm sure words were exchanged throughout the game to each of these effects.
At the same time, the fact that this 4-7, last-in-their-division team beat our second-best offering does NOT reflect well in the AAC at all. Frankly, it's pretty humiliating.
At the same time, the fact that this 4-7, last-in-their-division team beat our second-best offering does NOT reflect well in the AAC at all. Frankly, it's pretty humiliating.
Re: Ugly end to Armed Forces Bowl
It started pregame when a shirtless MS St team got in Tulsa players’ faces and chest bumped one of them during warmups. The announcers said it looked personal, noting that a lot of these guys know each other from high school. I think some of it might have to do with players trash talking on social media leading up to the game as well (heck, it could have been over an ex girlfriend for all we know). It carried into the game with a lot of choppiness.
In the postgame, Mike Leach downplayed it saying it was “just football” while Montgomery only would say that the team “is like family” and they “will stand up for each other”.
I haven’t seen anything more about it to know if this was something that started in the pregame warmups or spillover from the days leading up to it.
The MS St guy that kicked the Tulsa guy then ran is a bitch.
In the postgame, Mike Leach downplayed it saying it was “just football” while Montgomery only would say that the team “is like family” and they “will stand up for each other”.
I haven’t seen anything more about it to know if this was something that started in the pregame warmups or spillover from the days leading up to it.
The MS St guy that kicked the Tulsa guy then ran is a bitch.
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"If you want to win you have to have good players." Vince Gibson
"If you want to win you have to have good players." Vince Gibson
Re: Ugly end to Armed Forces Bowl
Any reported consequences to any of this?
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Re: Ugly end to Armed Forces Bowl
Publicity?
Seriously, I saw a story where some sports writer ranked every bowl game (ours was much higher than expected because of our comeback making it close for a while), and the writer actually defended the fight as a result of letting out all the frustrations of every sacrifice that the teams had to make this year due to COVID, and said we should all cut them some slack. I can *almost* see his point about the fight itself, but the comments and behavior afterwards were reprehensible.