Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian acted in contrast when a brawl broke out at the end of their respective college football rivalry games on Saturday. One stood back and watched. The other took initiative and shut down the behavior before it could get out of hand.
They could not be more different!
Before we break down the film, it must first be noted that the two head coaches were on opposite ends of the result. Ohio State lost to Michigan for the fourth year in a row, at home. Texas beat Texas A&M on the road. There is a major distinction between the two situations.
With that being said, Day is subject to a large amount of criticism for how he handled the ugly scene. The Wolverines tried to plant a flag at the 50-yard-line, which led the Buckeyes to react accordingly. Multiple players were pepper-sprayed by police during the aftermath of a bench-clearing brawl.
Day spoke about the incident during his postgame press conference. He said that he “did not know all of the details” but he made it abundantly clear that his team would never allow the flag to be planted.
Video from the field also shows exactly how Day reacted to the fracas. The 45-year-old, likely in a state of shock and grief, watched on from a distance and made zero effort to break things up.
I followed Ryan Day after the Michigan-Ohio State game. Here’s how he reacted when the fight broke out between Ohio State and Michigan players. pic.twitter.com/tZKF2dGKvz
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) December 2, 2024
Less than 12 hours later, the Longhorns tried to plant their flag on the 50-yard-line in College Station. Sarkisian immediately shut it down and ushered his players back into the locker room.
"No need for that. We can celebrate in other areas. That's how you handle that."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 1, 2024
"Take your victory and flip it forward. And play for bigger things now."
Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler praise Texas coach Steve Sarkisian for pulling his team away from the Texas A&M logo. pic.twitter.com/H6wqfZOnRd
Here is a different angle of the swift response from down on the field:
What a job by Steve Sarkisian of preventing World War III in College Station #HookEm pic.twitter.com/9hKkQbtXgR
— Bob Ballou (@BobBallouSports) December 1, 2024
Sarkisian explained why he was so quick to react during his postgame press conference. His reasoning actually had to do with the scene in Columbus that morning.
I just watched Ohio State and Michigan getting a full-fledged brawl in my hotel room today, and I just didn’t think it was right […]
Rivalries are great, but there’s a way to win with class. And I just didn’t think that’s the right thing to do. We shouldn’t be on their logo.
— Steve Sarkisian
Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko also deserves credit here. He got the Aggies off of the field after the postgame handshakes, before they could create a large problem.
However, the real focus here is the contrast between Ryan Day and Steve Sarkisian. They took very different approaches to potential (or full-blown) on-field fights.