Urban Meyer went 7-0 against Michigan, so he knows what it’s like to win “The Game” while having no idea what it feels like to lose it.
When it comes to Saturday’s ugly postgame brawl following Michigan’s 13-10 upset win over the Buckeyes, Meyer says both the winning and losing sides are at fault. During the latest edition of “The Triple Option,” which he co-hosts with Mark Ingram and Rob Stone, Meyer took Ohio State and Michigan to task for their roles in the fracas.
“It’s the greatest rivalry in all of sports. Celebrate with your teammates and fans, sing the alma mater and go to the locker room. There’s no room for this on either side,” Meyer said .
On Sunday, the Big Ten fined both schools $100,000 for the melee, with both programs accepting the punishment.
“We respect the Big Ten Conference’s decision in this matter,” Ohio State said in a statement. “What happened post-game yesterday was unfortunate. Good sportsmanship is always important in everything we do at Ohio State. Moving forward, we will continue to examine and address our post-game protocols to ensure our student-athletes, coaches, visiting teams and staff safely exit the field.”
Interestingly, while Meyer condemned the fight and blamed all parties, the response from his successor Ryan Day following Saturday’s game drew criticism for not going far enough.
“I don’t know all the details of it, but I know these guys were looking to put a flag on our field and our guys were not going to let that happen,” Day said . “We’re embarrassed of the fact we lost, but there are some prideful guys on our team that weren’t going to let that happen.”
The win was Michigan’s fourth in a row over Ohio State, their longest winning streak in this heated rivalry since 1988-91. The Wolverines finished the regular season 7-5 while the Buckeyes went 10-2.
Despite the setback, Ohio State is still projected to earn a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Related: Big Ten Decides On Punishment For Ohio State, Michigan Postgame Fight