Police arrest 15, respond to fires after Buckeyes lose in title game

1/8/2008 11:05 AM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -Fifteen people were arrested and several fires set around the Ohio State campus after the Buckeyes lost to LSU in the BCS championship game Monday night.

Most of the arrests were on charges of disorderly conduct or resisting arrest, though two were expected to be charged by arson investigations after trash bins were sit on fire, police spokeswoman Amanda Ford said Tuesday. Between 10 and 12 fires were reported.

Permanent street lighting installed over the past year helped police better monitor people coming out of bars, and there was a parking ban on three campus-area streets until early Tuesday, Lt. Tom Quinlan said.

The scene along High Street - the main drag on the edge of the campus - was somber following the Buckeyes' 38-24 loss in New Orleans, their second straight defeat in the title game. Most people quietly walked to their dorms and homes, absent the raucous partying that usually follows big wins.

The day started out like an unofficial holiday in Ohio, with government meetings throughout the state postponed or shortened. Classes were back in session after the winter break at Ohio State, but many students were at the Louisiana Superdome or on Bourbon Street instead of in classrooms.

The football team was scheduled to return Tuesday afternoon without coach Jim Tressel, who headed to California for a coaching convention, the school said in a statement.