The Louisville Cardinals managed to beat the North Carolina Tar Heels 16-14 after a late interception ended UNC’s hopes of taking the lead.
While that sounds exciting, it’s no match for the all-out brawl that erupted as the clock wound down to zero.
With just over a minute to go, UNC’s Travis Burgess seemed to have thrown a pass that would move the Tar Heels close to midfield; however, it wound up in the arms of a Cardinal.
RAMS OFFENSIVE LINEMAN PUNCHES BILLS LINEBACKER AFTER THRILLING GAME: ‘TEMPERS GOT FLARED’
Bummer. That’s it. Game over. Everyone can leave. Nothing else to see.
Well, any fans who did stick around saw something wild. As the Cardinals took a knee for the final time, tempers started flaring.
Then they kept flaring, and really never stopped.
The benches cleared, and chaos ensued.
We also got one of my favorite things, which is officials trying to break up a brawl by blowing their whistles and throwing flags.
Seriously? In that melee, do you really think whistling away like a London Bobby is going to do anything?
SEC HEAD GREG SANKEY BLASTS ANNOUNCERS FOR CRITICIZING POOR OFFICIATING IN TEXAS-MISSOURI: ‘UNACCEPTABLE’
Now you don’t just have a brawl on your hands. You have a brawl, a total racket and a bunch of flags you’ve got to go and pick up.
So, did any of that improve the situation in any measurable way?
No. No, it did not.
Of course, with that much mayhem, there’s not much the officiating can do (or would want to do), and it will be interesting to see if there’s any supplemental discipline coming.
The Tar Heels likely don’t need any, because they’re probably in for a rough few days.
It was a bad night on several fronts for Bill Belichick’s boys. Something tells me it won’t be a fun week as the 5-5 Tar Heels prepare to take on Virginia next weekend.