THE YANKS LEARN TO FIGHT

Police fired tear gas and wooden pellets to break up rioting by college football fans who set fire to cars, threw bottles and burned furniture in the streets early Sunday in celebration of Ohio State University's victory over rival Michigan.

In the minutes after the Buckeyes' 14-9 victory, which sealed a 13-0 season
for the team and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl, fans swarmed the field and threw
chunks of turf at state troopers who used pepper spray to try to prevent them from pulling down the goal posts.

At least a dozen fires were later set near the Columbus campus. Police said
45 people were arrested for disorderly conduct and alcohol violations.

Football celebrations got out of hand in South Carolina, California, North
Carolina and Washington, as well.

At Washington State University, fans pelted visiting players from the winning University of Washington team with bottles, plastic souvenirs and other debris.

Ohio State fans at first high-fived the players after the Buckeye victory, but as more fans rushed the field, they began throwing clumps of sod at the officers and taking chunks of the turf some said they planned to sell on the Internet.

Police spokeswoman Sherry Mercurio said drivers reported their cars were pelted with debris, and a number of cars were set on fire. Officers used wooden pellets known as "knee-knockers" to disperse one crowd of several hundred people and arrested 45 people, she said.

"Your team has gone 13-0 and you should be darn proud of that fact," Mercurio said. "Instead, you take attention away from that and bring the spotlight on the fact that you can't control yourself if your team wins