UCLA vs. Arizona Fight Video: Fake Referee Not Responsible for Classless Brawl

In what was perhaps the most bizarre scene witnessed in college football since the Stanford band ran onto the field in the midst of the Big Game (rivalry between Stanford and California) in 1982, a streaker initially dressed as a referee ran onto the Arizona Stadium field Thursday night. A subsequent brawl between Arizona Wildcats and UCLA Bruins players proceeded to break out.

The previously 1-5 Wildcats, who had recently fired head coach Mike Stoops, had flown to a 42-7 lead over the visiting Bruins with just a few seconds remaining in the first half.

After a play was whistled dead, the impostor referee ran in as if to huddle up with the real referees before dashing away and presumably removing his clothing.

In the meantime, the two sides began a vicious brawl that saw both sidelines empty onto the field of play. The start of the fight went unnoticed amidst the pandemonium of the streaker, but it seemed as though a couple players simply began pushing and shoving each other before it escalated.

The fight only lasted for a couple minutes before it was broken up and ejections were leveled. While it would be easy to blame the streaker for inciting the brawl as he diverted the attention of the officials, the true culprit was nothing more than pent-up frustration.

UCLA players had to be infuriated being down by five touchdowns to a one-win team before the halftime whistle. With emotions running high, a simple disagreement turned into what looked more like a WWE battle royal than a college football game.

While the precise reason for the fight starting is unclear, it is also possible that some Arizona players were taunting their counterparts a bit. The Wildcats have had a tough season, and many of those players were devoted to the since-departed Stoops, so it is understandable that they might have been amped up by their great performance.

This theory is buoyed by the fact that several Arizona players were shown pumping up the crowd and high-fiving fans after the brawl was broken up. While you can appreciate their enthusiasm, it was a bit classless to essentially brag about the fight and show up their opponents.

In the end, both the UCLA and Arizona players should be held solely responsible for the brawl. While the streaking fake referee is a moron who certainly caused some confusion, it was simply a coincidence that he appeared prior to the fight.

With the game over by halftime, I think that both teams were looking for a confrontation, so they just took advantage of the situation and made it happen.