Sports

Tense Collision Between Ohio State Coach And Michigan Football Player Sparks Blame Debate

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Keenan Bailey Andrew Marsh Ohio State Michigan Tunnel
FOX

Ohio State tight ends coach Keenan Bailey and Michigan wide receiver Andrew Marsh shared a tense moment prior to the college football game in Ann Arbor on Saturday. They both refused to get out of the way.

Who initiated contact?

Fans of the Buckeyes are going to blame the true freshman wide receiver. Fans of the Wolverines are going to blame the college football staffer.

Michigan has only one tunnel.

There are very few stadiums in sports as historic as The Big House. Michigan Stadium is the largest stadium in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, the third-largest stadium in the world, and the 34th-largest sports venue in the world. Built in 1927, it fits a maximum capacity of ~115,000.

However, because it is as old as it is, there are a few design flaws— like the tunnel. There is only one tunnel that leads from the locker rooms, for both teams, to the field.

That has caused problems in the past during rivalry games, and not just The Game.

Absolute chaos broke out in the tunnel between Michigan and Ohio State in 2021. Michigan State and Michigan got into a nasty brawl in 2022. The Wolverines and the Big Ten increased security and changed their protocol in recent years to avoid this kind of situation. It has mostly keeps things to a minimum.

For example, the Buckeyes waited around at halftime on Saturday after a pair of personal fouls to end the second quarter. Officials very quickly ushered the loiterers back to their respective locker room.

Nothing went down at the break. Ohio State also celebrated accordingly in the tunnel after its win.

Michigan was required to keep its distance from its rivals.

Ohio State staffer Keenan Bailey made contact with Andrew Marsh.

Although it did not escalate to something larger, there was a minor incident in the tunnel during pregame. The Buckeyes were heading back toward the locker room after warmups. Some of the Wolverines were heading toward the field to get warmed up.

Ohio State tight ends coach Keenan Bailey stopped in his tracks as Michigan wide receiver Andrew Marsh walked by, directly in his path. It was intentional.

Marsh had an opportunity to step out of Bailey’s way if he wanted to do so but he stood his ground. It was intentional.

Their inevitable collision course inevitably led to the inevitable collision.

Bailey made a point to body check Marsh. Marsh made a point to lower his shoulder into Bailey.

The Big House Tunnel strikes again!