The most famous ambush involving Brutus transpired on the Ides of March in 44 BC at the Curia of Pompey, with Brutus operating as the attacker on Julius Caesar. But the most famous ambush involving Brutus in the past century transpired on Sept. 18, 2010 in the north end zone at Ohio Stadium.
In a bizarre moment in the early days of YouTube and video-sharing across the Internet, two mascots were subjects in one of college football’s first viral moments. Before the Ohio Bobcats battled the Ohio State
Buckeyes in Columbus, Rufus the Bobcat decided there would be a battle prior to the one occurring between the hashes. After The Best Damn Band in the Land’s pregame routine, the band marched off the field while Brutus Buckeye ran to the end zone waving a giant Ohio State flag.
Rufus was simultaneously running directly at Brutus, and suddenly the costumed bobcat attempted to tackle the costumed buckeye nut. However, Rufus failed on the initial tackle attempt and was unable to bring Brutus down while stumbling on his oversized paws. In what is code red for most mascots, Rufus suddenly lost his head, causing Brutus to respond with a quick taunt.
Brutus continued with his routine, unaware that a vengeful Rufus remained on the prowl. Simultaneously, Ohio State players were making their way to the north end zone where many knelt to say a quick prayer — although this bizarre circumstance created an unforeseen diversion to many wearing scarlet and gray uniforms. At this moment, Rufus hopped on Brutus’ back like a spider monkey and wrestled the mascot to the ground. While on the ground, Rufus’ right paw threw a hook straight into Brutus’ face, creating a lasting image of the bobcat mascot socking a blank-faced buckeye. A nearby security member separated the two after they rose from the ground. Rufus spread his arms in Gladiator “Are you not entertained?” fashion, while Brutus visibly laughed it off by slapping his knee.
The most famous video was captured and posted on YouTube by user Buckeye CountryDOTnet, uploaded three days after the events at Ohio Stadium.
ESPN’s David Fleming previously recounted the in-depth story, receiving firsthand accounts from former Brutus Buckeye (Sean Stazen) and Rufus the Bobcat (Brandon Hanning) to commemorate the 10-year anniversary in 2020. In summary, it was a years-long devised plot by Hanning, who solely tried out for Rufus the Bobcat to manifest that moment. In fact, Hanning was no longer an Ohio University student at the time of the attack, dropping out to attend a local community college per Fleming’s feature. With no legal action pressed, the consequences were quite minimal for the former Rufus who predictably lost his gig as Ohio’s mascot.
Fast forward to modern-day, and many college mascots are familiar with each other through camps, community events, media days, and group chats. The current students playing Brutus and Rufus will likely discuss the viral 2010 moment and share a laugh over it when they meet outside of costume Saturday. Perhaps they’ll even jokingly reference it during pregame festivities. But no hostile ambush is expected from Rufus, nor retaliation from Brutus. Instead, Ohio and Ohio State will settle things for the first time in 15 years when they kick off at 7 p.m. ET in Columbus.
