COLUMBUS, Ohio– A brawl broke out at midfield after Michigan stunned No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 on Saturday when Wolverines players attempted to plant their flag on the OSU logo and were confronted by the Buckeyes .

Police used pepper spray to disperse the players, who threw punches and shoves in the melee that overshadowed the rivalry game. A police officer suffered unspecified injuries and was taken to a hospital, a police union official said.

After Ohio State players clashed with their rivals at midfield, defensive end Jack Sawyer grabbed the top of the Wolverines’ flag and ripped it off the post as the fight headed toward the Michigan bench . Eventually, officers rushed in to try to break up the fight.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he understood his players’ actions.

“There are some proud guys on our team who weren’t going to stand by and let this happen,” Day said.

The two Ohio State players released after the game brushed off questions about it.

Michigan running back Kalel Mullings, who had 116 yards and a touchdown, said he didn’t like the way Buckeyes players got involved in the Wolverines’ postgame celebration, calling it of “classless”.

“For such a great game, you hate to see things like that after the game,” he told Fox Sports in an on-field interview. “It’s just bad for the sport, bad for college football. But at the end of the day, you know, some people have to – they have to learn to lose, man. … We had 60 minutes, we had four quarters -time, to do all these fights.

Ohio State Police said in a statement that “several officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray.” University police said they would continue to investigate the fight.

Brian Steel, president of the police union representing Franklin County officers, posted on social media that an officer was injured.

“Officers are authorized to use pepper spray to stop assaults and protect themselves and others,” Steel added.

Michigan players could be seen rubbing their eyes after being exposed to the chemical irritant.

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said both teams could have handled the situation differently.

“So many emotions on both sides,” he said. “Rivalry games get heated, especially this one. It’s the biggest in the country, so we need to handle that better.”