Ohio State football took off, and then fans flocked to it.
On Monday, the Buckeyes won college football’s national championship, and celebrations continued into the wee hours of the night, including an impromptu Ohio Stadium field attack by a group of brave Columbus, Ohio, fans.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that students began flooding onto campus shortly after Ohio State’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame, despite the bitterly cold Midwest weather. Shouting “OH” and “IO,” the crowd eventually gathered in the “Horseshoe” and successfully invaded the historic home of Ohio State football.
A video shared on social media shows a crowd of fans. Some held flags, some dressed for the weather, and some without shirts. He holds up his cell phone and records the scene as they all exit the stadium tunnel and spill onto the familiar grass. Police officers also joined in the fun, posing for photos for fans celebrating the Buckeyes’ first national football championship since 2014, witnesses said.
“It’s crazy. I was surprised the police were so cooperative,” Ohio State University senior Natalie Freihammer, who attended the celebration, told the Columbus Dispatch.
Ryan Day: Ohio State title silences critics. “What are they going to say now?”
Ohio State has made a remarkable turnaround over the past two months, bouncing back from a regular-season finale loss to Michigan to win four straight and return to the top after the first 12-team College Football Playoff. Another loss to the Wolverines brought more attention to coach Ryan Day, and the disappointment continued until the Buckeyes’ first-round playoff game against Tennessee, when more Volunteers than usual were in Ohio Stadium. It was packed with fans.
But those concerns faded with Ohio State’s title win, and fans returned in droves Tuesday to welcome the Buckeyes back from Atlanta. According to the university’s athletic department, the festivities will continue during an official celebration for the team and fans inside Ohio Stadium on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET. Admission and parking are free and details will be announced this week.
“There were times when a lot of people were writing us off, but we just kept swinging and kept fighting,” Day said after Monday’s game.
Maybe some of those who invaded Ohio Stadium had those doubts after the Buckeyes’ success.