NATION ROUNDUP
Miami, FIU brawl; 13 players ejected
Sunday, October 15, 2006
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Miami 35, Florida International 0 ?
Miami beat Florida International last night in a game marred by a wild brawl in the third quarter that had fists flying, helmets swinging and crutches used as weapons.
In all, 13 players were ejected ? eight from FIU (0-7), five from Miami (4-2), and each will likely face a minimum of one-game suspensions. Officials from both conferences, the Atlantic Coast and Sun Belt, are expected to review the game tape to determine whether additional sanctions are necessary.
Kyle Wright had three touchdown passes for the Hurricanes, and Lance Leggett had two TD catches.
It was the first meeting between schools that are 9 miles apart in Miami and have rosters almost entirely filled with players from Miami-Dade and Broward counties, the two largest in south Florida.
"It was a great game," FIU quarterback Josh Padrick said, "until nine minutes left in the third quarter."
James Bryant caught a 5-yard TD pass from Wright, then drew a 15-yard flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. After the catch, he appeared to point at the FIU bench, then took a theatrical bow toward the stands.
Jon Peattie kicked the extra point for a 14-0 lead and the melee began; replays showed an FIU player crashing into Miami holder Matt Perrelli as the first of many blows. Pushing quickly turned into punches, both sidelines emptied and several fights broke out.
The brawl lasted about five minutes, and it took officials several more minutes to sort out the penalties. More than two dozen uniformed police officers came onto the field, trying to end the fights, and at least one incident of fan fighting broke out in the Orange Bowl stands. Police officers, including some wearing helmets, surrounded the field for the remainder of the game.