Some in-game chippiness between South Alabama and Eastern Michigan resulted in a brief but ugly brawl after Saturday’s 68 Ventures Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
The Jaguars beat the Eagles 59-10 in a game that featured at least one major altercation after a play on the South Alabama sideline in the second quarter. That carried over into the post-game, when an Eastern Michigan player appeared to punch South Alabama defensive back Jamarrien Burt in the head from behind while the Jaguars were facing the student section and singing the school’s alma mater.
Fellow defensive back Brian Dillard (Burt’s older brother) and eventually several other USA players jumping into the fracas. The Eastern Michigan player who threw the punch was wearing No. 5, but there are two No. 5s on the Eagles’ roster, so it’s unclear which one it was.
Here are two videos shot by a fan and uploaded to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter:
The players were eventually separated and both teams sent to their locker rooms. After the entire Eastern Michigan team had left the field, South Alabama’s players and coaches were brought back out for the post-game trophy presentation.
Both South Alabama coach Kane Wommack and Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton were asked for their thoughts on the skirmish. Here is what each had to say:
“I didn’t see things when they happened,” Creighton said. “But I definitely saw the intensity of what had just happened. We had a really good, long talk in the locker room afterwards. We want to be first-class all the time, no matter the circumstances, no matter what the scoreboard is, no matter what other factors, people, whatever are involved. And anything short of being first-class is not living up to the standard that we have in Eastern Michigan football.
“I think that our guys care a lot about performing well. I’m sure we were embarrassed by how we played and it probably didn’t take too much to get our guys into a place that we hope that they never get.”
Wommack vowed to investigate the circumstances of the post-game incident and address it with his team in an appropriate fashion.
“This is a very special game, it’s a hard game,” Wommack said. “It’s a team game and you do everything you can on a football field to be the best for your teammates. And at times, things get emotional and they get passionate and we ask these guys to play on the line of that emotion and passion in every single way. Those are never things that you want to end a game with.
“We will certainly take ownership of our part. We will look and find out exactly what happened. I couldn’t tell you exactly what did. I’ll get more information as we go. … We’re going to win, but it’s also how we win. And so we want to make sure that we hold people accountable to the standard that we want to operate, in the way we want to represent the city of Mobile and the University of South Alabama.
Those will be things that we’ll get to the bottom of, but this is a night to really be proud of the things that we’ve accomplished and the young men that do things the right way. And that’s why we’re here.”
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