The last week of the regular season in college football is sometimes called ‘Rivalry Week,’ as across the country teams with a history of bad blood clash on the gridiron.
Sometimes, that bad blood can boil over, however, with negative results. Such was the case in this weekend’s UNLV-Nevada game, where a thrilling overtime game ended with a massive, bench-clearing brawl.
Yahoo Sports reports that the fight kicked off just as UNLV scored a touchdown in overtime, netting the Rebels a victory over the home team Wolfpack.
Best video I’ve seen of the fight. Appears Nevada’s Austin Arnold threw the first punch (a punch from behind on UNLV’s quarterback). Kenyon Obland might have said something to spark it, but that punch led to the brawl.
— Chris Murray (@MurrayNSN) December 1, 2019
pic.twitter.com/U88JMYIabH
The situation quickly escalated, as players from both teams sprinted onto the field, and coaches entered the fray in an attempt to separate them. Fans didn’t help lower the temperature — some fans appear to throw trash and debris onto the field in the video above.
The athletic directors of both schools issued a joint statement, which read:
“The events that occurred following today’s football game have no place in college athletics and we are deeply disappointed by this incident, which detracts from what was a hard-fought and emotional football game between our state’s only two NCAA programs.
We are examining all available video from the incident and working with the Mountain West office in a full review. Additionally, we are working with the University of Nevada, Reno Police Department to review the actions on the field and in the stands after the game.
Rivalry games are at the heart of what should be great about intercollegiate athletics. We will continue to prioritize sportsmanship at all of our events, especially those between our two great institutions.”
