WHEN MASCOTS ATTACK

NEW YORK, NY – There was no love between the mascots during this weekend’s Ohio State – Ohio U game!
Over the years, Mascots have become a side show to any game. Men – or women – in giant animal suits prancing around trying to instill some positivity into the crowd. They might not get the credit they deserve, but on occasion, mascots outshine the team they represent. Such was the case on Saturday during Ohio’s game against Ohio State.
When you look back at Ohio State’s rout of Ohio, 43-7, it’s hard to find one bright spot for Ohio. The team was down 34-0 in seemingly minutes and managed one measly touchdown against a team that put it in cruise control during the second quarter. However, if there is one individual that brought some fight, it was there mascot, Rufus the Bobcat. Rufus tried to instill some pride and confidence into the team – by picking a fight with Ohio State’s mascot, Brutus the Buckeye.
To our delight, there is video of this glorious incident. Rufus is clearly the instigator, tackling an unsuspecting Brutus near midfield and almost taking out an Ohio State flag bearer in the process. Rufus’ first try is unsuccessful and he should of perhaps stopped there – but he doesn’t. He presses the issue and chases Brutus to the end zone – where it’s obvious that his antics went a little too far and nobody is impressed.
The best part of this story is the fact that this was a dream come true for the individual in the Rufus costume. According to Brandon Hanning, he told the Ohio student newspaper that he only went out for the job with the explicit intention of assaulting Brutus. “It was the whole reason I tried out to be Rufus last year,” he said. “I knew we were going back to OSU this year, and I wanted to tackle Brutus.” Bravo!
Ohio has apologized to Ohio State, and Hanning has been barred from any further affiliation with the university’s athletics.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=577hN8tQM6g&feature=player_embedded]