Bowl Game Brawl! Punches fly between Mississippi State and Tulsa players after the Armed Forces Bowl as coaches scramble to break it up
- A wild brawl broke out between Mississippi State and Tulsa players following the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday
- After the final gun sounded on the Bulldogs’ 28-26 win, tempers boiled over along the sideline as nearly every player became involved in violent melee
- Coaches from both teams were seen trying and failing to control their players
- Bulldogs wide receiver Malik Heath was seen kicking a Tulsa player during the fight and immediately running away from the scene of the altercation
- The game was the final season for both schools, which could face a penalty
A wild brawl broke out between Mississippi State and Tulsa players following the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday.
After the final gun sounded on the Bulldogs’ 28-26 win, tempers boiled over along the sideline as nearly every player became involved in violent melee.
Coaches from both teams were seen trying and failing to control their players.
Bulldogs wide receiver Malik Heath was seen kicking a Tulsa player during the fight and immediately running away from the scene. His Mississippi State teammate, linebacker De’Monte Russell, and Tulsa safety TieNeal Martin also exchanged punches.
However, an exact blow-by-blow synopsis of the fighting might be impossible because nearly every player appeared to be involved in one way or another.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs and Tulsa Golden Hurricane teams fight after Thursday’s game
Mississippi State linebacker De’Monte Russell (9) and Tulsa safety TieNeal Martin (7) fight after time runs out in the Armed Forces Bowl
Coaches, managers, and trainers from both teams were seen struggling to stop the fight
Players from both teams were seen punching and kicking each other after Thursday’s game
Eventually police ran onto the field and managed to break up both teams
Bulldogs linebacker Aaron Brule gets knocked down by Tulsa offensive lineman Tyler Smith
A trio of Tulsa players circle around a Mississippi State player, who is being restrained
Tulsa and Mississippi State players trade blows along the Bulldogs sideline on Thursday
A helmet-less Dillon Johnson of Mississippi State appears in the middle of Thursday’s brawl
As for the game, Will Rogers threw one touchdown pass and ran for a score as Mississippi State held off No. 24 Tulsa 28-26 on a rainy Thursday afternoon.
Emmanuel Forbes had a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown and Lideatrick Griffin, who caught Rogers’ touchdown pass, contributed 138 kickoff return yards to help the Bulldogs (4-7) overcome a sluggish offensive performance that produced just 270 yards.
Zach Smith passed for 347 yards and a touchdown, but threw two crucial interceptions for the Golden Hurricane (6-3).
The Tulsa defense held down the Mississippi State offense even without linebacker Zaven Collins, the Nagurski Award winner as the top defensive player in the country who opted out to focus on the NFL Draft.
The Bulldogs led 7-6 at halftime and Rogers scrambled 13 yards for a touchdown that gave Mississippi State a 14-6 lead.
Deneric Prince answered on the next possession with a 13-yard touchdown run for Tulsa.
The Golden Hurricane was poised to take their first lead of the game, but Forbes made his pick-six against Smith for a 21-13 Mississippi State lead at the end of the third quarter.
A botched punt by Mississippi State gave Tulsa a first down at the Bulldogs’ 32-yard line and nine plays later Corey Taylor II ran 5 yards for a touchdown. A two-point pass went incomplete, leaving MSU with a 21-19 lead with 12:30 remaining.
Rogers threw a 13-yard touchdown to Griffin to increase the lead to 28-19 with 8:01 left.
Smith drove the Golden Hurricane to the Bulldogs’ 6, but was intercepted by Tyrus Wheat before directing Tulsa to his 15-yard touchdown pass to Keylon Stokes with 1:23 left. Stokes had nine catches for 117 yards.
Griffin returned the opening kickoff 53 yards to the Tulsa 39-yard line.
Three plays later Jo’Quavious Marks ran 28 yards for a 7-0 Bulldogs lead that lasted through the end of the first quarter.
Zack Long made field goals of 27 and 33 yards to pull the Golden Hurricane within 7-6 at halftime.