Not satisfied to celebrate the Buckeyes’ national championship victory in the confined spaces of their dormitories, Ohio State students flooded the streets of frigid Columbus, where they set fire to couches and broke into the school’s football stadium.
It was down in Atlanta where the Buckeyes defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 34-23, on Monday night to capture the school’s sixth national championship and first since 2020.
But it was back in central Ohio where the real celebration was going down, as social media videos revealed hordes of scarlet-and-grey-clad Buckeyes fans forcing their way to the gates at Ohio Stadium, better known as ‘The Horseshoe.’
One viral video shows a large group of young men in sweatshirts and replica jerseys trying to breach the stadium grounds with a handful of police officers standing on the other side of the iron gate. The crowd initially appeared to be thwarted in this attempt, but subsequent social media videos showed hundreds of students jumping around on the field at The Shoe.
‘It’s really kind of surreal,’ Thomas Schmnasky, a freshman, told The Columbus Dispatch after finding his way to the field.
Video from the Dispatch shows hundreds of fans rushing through the stadium concourse and then down onto the field. There did not appear to be much, if any, property damage.
Columbus’ Channel 10 shows images of Buckeyes fans attempting to force their way into The Horseshoe after Ohio State’s national championship victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Hundreds of Ohio State students and fans made their way into Ohio Stadium in Columbus
Ohio State Buckeyes players celebrate after winning thenational championship game
Curiously, police on the scene didn’t appear to be putting up much resistance.
‘It’s crazy,’ Natalie Freihammer, a senior, told The Dispatch. ‘I was surprised that the cops are so supportive.’
Chants of ‘O-H’ and ‘I-O’ were heard throughout campus on Monday in what’s being described as a largely peaceful scene.
No arrests are being reported as of now, but several couches were set ablaze on the city streets.
‘It´s a great story about a bunch of guys who have just overcome some really tough situations, and at the point where there´s a lot of people that counted us out [they] just kept swinging and kept fighting,’ Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said after winning his first title since replacing Urban Meyer as head coach.
As for the school’s official celebration, that will also be occurring at The Horseshoe. OSU has announced the scheduled festivities for Sunday at noon, local time.
There will probably not be a parade, seeing as the school did not organize one for its last two NCAA crowns, according to The Dispatch.
