The Michigan Wolverines suffered their second defeat of the season on Saturday, falling 27-17 to new Big Ten rival Washington in a hard-fought game out in the Pacific Northwest.
As it turns out, the surprising score-line wasn’t the only thing making headlines. A postgame video clip has surfaced showing Michigan staffer and former offensive lineman Chris Bryant in a heated exchange with a Washington fan.
The viral video captures Bryant, who currently serves as Michigan’s Director of High School Relations, approaching the stands and appearing to threaten a Huskies fan.
Bryant, who played for Michigan in the early 2010s, has been a part of the Wolverines’ support staff for the past decade and has stood on the sidelines in more than 20 different road venues.
As of now, we don’t know what was said prior to the heated moment. It’s safe to assume Bryant didn’t react the way he did for no reason.
The game itself was a difficult one for Michigan, whose offense struggled to gain momentum.
The Wolverines managed just 287 total yards, turned the ball over twice, and were flagged for significantly more penalty yards than the Huskies.
Washington, on the other hand, played with extra motivation, avenging (to a small degree) their loss to Michigan in last season’s national championship game.
Both programs have undergone major changes since that title clash.
Longtime Alabama head coach Nick Saban retired abruptly following a College Football Playoff loss to Michigan, prompting Washington’s head coach Kalen DeBoer to fill the vacancy in Tuscaloosa.
Meanwhile, Michigan’s own head coach, Jim Harbaugh, left the program after winning the national title, moving on to the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL.
Sherrone Moore, who took over the Wolverines this season, now faces a fresh set of challenges as Michigan tries to rebound from this latest defeat.
Jack Tuttle made his season debut at quarterback on Saturday and provided a little spark for the Wolverines (baby steps, guys).
By all accounts, it looks like Moore will stick with Tuttle under center going forward.
“Right now it looks like Jack,” Moore said. “We’ll do everything we can to keep the competition going, but I think right now he gives us the best chance to win, and we’ll continue to process that as an offense, as a team, but that looks like the direction we’re heading.”
“I thought offensively, definitely, Jack Tuttle came in there and gave us a huge spark, and that was a positive,” Moore continued.
“The first three drives, touchdown, field goal, touchdown, and gave us a lot of momentum on offense, and he’s beating himself up still. I had to call him last night and tell him, ‘Hey, we got your back, you’re good.’
“He only practiced for a week and a half, really. And to get him back was a huge boost for us, so we’ll continue to get better and build stuff around him to make him better and make our team better and let our other guys be playmakers.”
Getting back to the viral video, what are your thoughts on what transpired?
Of course, we don’t know the full story. However, do you think Bryant was out of line for threatening the Washington fan like he did?
As for the actual team, how will the rest of the season play out for Moore and the Wolverines???