After SMU beat rival TCU in Fort Worth Sept. 25, the postgame celebration got spicy when Mustangs receiver Rashee Rice ran an SMU flag to midfield. That prompted the customary shoving and other puffery—but then SMU defensive back Brandon Crossley came back with the flag and planted it on the TCU logo. This led to TCU players tearing the flag off the pole, whereupon the flag was returned to an SMU player.
Given what came after, you would have thought one side or the other had lit the rival’s campus on fire. There was fury from Horned Frogs coach Gary Patterson, who has a history of questioning the class of opponents who beat his team. In this case, Patterson said SMU’s flag plant was planned in advance and that TCU assistant Jerry Kill, who has epilepsy, was knocked down and got a concussion in the fracas—although Kill was knocked down by a Horned Frog. “He got pushed down by our kids once on film in the middle of it, and he got hit, because I've got the proof to show it,” Patterson said. “… At the end of the day, it wouldn't have happened if we didn't have the flag situation.”
SMU athletic director Rick Hart responded at length. Among his comments: "This activity was spontaneous and borne out of emotion. To suggest otherwise is irresponsible and offensive. I will not allow Coach (Sonny) Dykes, our program or our student-athletes to be unjustifiably attacked. Sonny is a tremendous leader and a man of great integrity."
It sure isn’t the Marines at Iwo Jima in terms of momentous flag plantings, but in Texas football, it was enough to escalate emotions. Thus another great chapter is added to the Class Wars of college football, where feelings are more easily hurt than might seem logical. Toward that end, here is a brief Dash compendium of famous provocative moments before, during or after games:
https://www.si.com/college/2021/10/05/f ... disrespect