Eric Boggs
Saturday night’s game between Ohio State and Ohio University is already drawing plenty of attention, not just because it’s a rare in-state matchup in the Horseshoe, but because it marks the first meeting since one of the wildest moments in college football mascot history. Every Buckeye fan remembers it: the day Rufus the Bobcat ambushed Brutus Buckeye.
Back in 2010, the Bobcats came to Columbus and left with a predictable 43-7 loss, but what stole the headlines wasn’t on the scoreboard—it was on the field before kickoff. Brandon Hanning, then playing the role of Rufus, had been plotting for over a year. He admitted later, “I had just seen the Oregon Duck videos where he was bullying other mascots, and I thought it would be awesome … for our mascot to beat up their mascot.” To pull it off, he became Ohio’s mascot with one mission in mind: tackle Brutus.
Hanning wasn’t even enrolled at OU by the time the big game rolled around, but he got a late call to suit up again. He took it without hesitation, determined to see his plan through. As Brutus led the Buckeyes out of the tunnel waving the scarlet and gray flag, Rufus sprinted across the field and went straight for him. “It hit me that they were about to run across the field,” Hanning recalled. “This is a perfect time to do this.”
Sean Stazen, the Ohio State student wearing the Brutus costume that day, remembers the moment vividly. “I notice him getting closer and closer and my thought is, oh, OK, he’s trying to mess up our entrance,” Stazen said. The glancing hit sent Rufus scrambling to readjust his headgear, but he wasn’t done. Moments later, as Brutus jogged into the end zone, Rufus leapt on his back and started swinging.
Stazen kept his cool. “I’m proud to say I’m able to get into the end zone. So I always say I did score the touchdown,” he joked. Thanks to the padding inside the Brutus costume, no real damage was done, and both mascots dusted themselves off. Security warned Rufus not to touch Brutus again, but unbelievably, he wasn’t ejected and finished the game on the sideline.
The fallout came quickly. Hanning became infamous overnight, fired as Ohio’s mascot and banned from athletic events. News outlets across the country ran the story, and attorneys even contacted Stazen about possible assault charges, though he declined. Looking back today, Stazen has no hard feelings. “It’s still just a hilarious story when it happened and here we are 15 years later still talking about it,” he said.
Hanning, now a mail carrier in Pomeroy, still embraces his notorious moment. He even has a tattoo of Rufus “dotting the I” of Brutus on his shoulder. “Legends never die,” he said. “Mission accomplished.”
Now, as the Buckeyes and Bobcats prepare to meet again, the mascots will take a different approach. Reports say the current Brutus and Rufus know each other from community events and mascot camps, and rather than repeat history, they’re expected to laugh about the viral brawl before kickoff.
Ohio State fans, of course, haven’t forgotten. That day in 2010 will always be part of the lore, and while the Buckeyes remain undefeated against the Bobcats on the field, Brutus has a score to settle. On Saturday night in the Shoe, Ohio State has a chance to give the rivalry a new chapter—this time with the action left to the players and the fans.
