As most people know, Ole Miss upset top-ranked Alabama Saturday for what was one of the biggest wins in school history.
As the clock wound down, cheering from elated fans deafened the tightly packed Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.As the game ended, a roaring crowd stormed the field in celebration of the priceless win.
What ensued was a crazy, dangerous and spirited jubilee of Ole Miss fans. Students surrounded the players and brought quarterback Bo Wallace atop their shoulders in triumph.
What made even bigger news than students storming the field was the tearing down of the goal posts by students, which resulted in them being taken out of the stadium and even paraded around Oxford with a cheerful police escort.
I imagine the police knew they wouldn’t be able to control a crowd as rowdy and enthusiastic as one that just witnessed one of the most impressive wins in the school’s history.
The huge post was eventually carried to a student’s apartment, with rumors that it’ll be sliced and diced for people to keep as Ole Miss athletic memorabilia.
Unfortunately, the university was charged a $50,000 fine for people storming the field. The uprooting of the posts upset many; more critical commenters speak of the possibility of injury as well as destruction of university property.
It is understandable why people would be concerned about injuries when a huge goal post came down on a sea of people, but, while nobody was seriously harmed, the risk was still a huge concern for many.
But, while some are upset over the rushing of the field and dismantling of goal posts, I found the celebration exciting and memorable. Ole Miss rarely has a season such as this in which they go undefeated through the first five games.
In fact, the last time this happened was during the Kennedy presidency.
I wouldn’t say the celebration was exactly safe, but when our school beats a top-ranked team, especially one that inspires so much passion as the Crimson Tide, it is expected that things are going to get wild.
Students who took the goal post cut it into pieces and are distributing it amongst other students. I think it’s a great idea to share the wealth with some of the student body. Having a piece of the post is like having a tangible piece of one of the craziest games in Ole Miss history.
It was an amazing win for the Ole Miss football team, but it was also a significant moment in our school’s pride. Never did I imagine that I’d be able to witness a game with such considerable impact that Ole Miss would be propelled to one of the top three teams in the country.
The storming of the field and razing of the goal pasts were only a sign of school pride and an emotional celebration of a well-deserved win.
Parsa Rafatian is a sophomore from Oxford.
