Big Ten investigating Spartans-Wolverines fight
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller has been in contact with the Big Ten about the fight between Spartans players and Michigan Wolverines players at the end of their game Saturday night.
Following Michigan’s final kneel-down of a 24-17 win, Michigan State defensive lineman Anthony Jones and Michigan tight end Colston Loveland engaged in a scuffle, bringing both teams to the middle of the field as the clock expired. Video appeared to show Michigan running back Kalel Mullings and other Wolverines engaged with Michigan State personnel who were on the turf.
“I haven’t thoroughly looked at every angle and all of that,” Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith said Monday. “It was a lot of bodies out there. … Yes, we had a staff member that was in the fray of it and a player that was in the fray of it, and that’s what we’re hoping [the Big Ten] is looking into.”
Michigan coach Sherrone Moore on Monday called the postgame skirmish “unacceptable.” He said any potential discipline will be handled internally, adding, “That’s not how we represent the University of Michigan, the block M or the winged helmet. So we’ll take care of that. That will never happen again.”
Asked specifically whether he saw Mullings kicking or stomping on someone from Michigan State, Moore said, “No. We’ll handle it.”
The incident occurred two years after the Michigan Stadium tunnel fight between Michigan State and Michigan players that resulted in criminal charges for seven MSU players, including felony assault for one. The Big Ten fined Michigan State $100,000 and issued an eight-game suspension on top of MSU’s discipline for one Spartans player.
Smith was not coaching MSU in 2022 but said of his first road experience in the Michigan State-Michigan rivalry, “There’s a genuine dislike. You could feel that from the get-go of pregame, from the crowd to the place and then sharing the tunnel, so that’s unique in a rivalry.”
The Big Ten didn’t immediately respond to ESPN’s request for comment on the incident.
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Max Olson
San Jose State wide receiver Danny Scudero, the leading receiver in FBS this season, will enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens in January, he announced Friday.
The 5-foot-9, 174-pound redshirt sophomore caught 88 passes for 1,291 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first season with the Spartans, becoming a semifinal for the Biletnikoff Award and earning first-team All-Mountain West honors.
Scudero is expected to be one of the more coveted wide receivers available when the transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2 and has two more seasons of eligibility remaining.
Scudero spent two years at Sacramento State before transferring to San Jose State after the 2024 season. He broke out with 189 receiving yards to open the season against Central Michigan and surpassed 100 yards in five more games, including a career-high 215 and two touchdowns against Hawaii.
Scudero’s 88 receptions ranked fourth-most in FBS, and he leads all receivers this season with 16 catches of 30 or more yards.
The Spartans produced the No. 14 passing offense in FBS this season but went 3-9 in their second year under coach Ken Niumatalolo.
North Carolina offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer will not return next season, with the school announcing the departure of both assistants after a 4-8 season in Bill Belichick’s college coaching debut.
“We want to thank Coach Kitchens and Coach Priefer for their commitment and many contributions to our program and student-athletes,” Belichick said in a statement. “We wish them both nothing but the best in their future endeavors.”
North Carolina’s offense was one of the worst in the country, ranking 119th in the FBS in scoring (19.3 PPG) and 129th in total offense (288.8 YPG).
The Tar Heels had special teams issues coming down the stretch too, notably with Duke running a fake field goal to set up a late winning touchdown and NC State successfully running a fake punt for a first down the following week.
Kitchens, who served as Cleveland Browns coach in 2019, had been with the Tar Heels since 2023 and was the interim coach for their Fenway Bowl loss at the end of the 2024 season. Belichick was hired as the new head coach earlier that month.
Priefer was a longtime NFL special teams coach who followed Belichick to Chapel Hill but lasted just one season on the job.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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