Michigan State University students celebrated their football team’s first invite to the Rose Bowl in decades Saturday by rioting through East Lansing. Large groups of students swarmed neighborhoods near the university’s campus early Sunday morning chanting, lighting fires, setting off fireworks and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The Michigan State Spartans pulled off a historic upset by beating the undefeated No. 3-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 34-24 in the Big 10 Conference championship game earlier in the day. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Anarchy: Michigan State University fans riot in East Lansing, Mich., early Sunday . Widespread destruction: Revelers rip a tree out of the ground to add it to one of the many fires burning . Fired up: Revelers mill around one of the many fires set at Cedar Village . Several fires were set throughout the city by thousands of people, according to WOODTV. No injuries were reported, but the destruction was widespread. Multiple people were arrested, but the names of those taken into custody have not been released, nor has the number of people detained. The East Lansing Police Department announced it will make the names of those arrested public on Monday morning. Groups of students numbering into the several hundreds each terrorized neighborhoods near campus early while chanting ‘we smell roses,’ according to reports. Police responding around 4am in the Cedar Grove neighborhood of the city encountered a group of students too numerous to count crowded around a bonfire, officials said. The rowdy crowd was threatened with tear gas, but dispersed before any was used, cops noted. ‘I see it as a great thing,’ a rioter told Fox 47. ‘Things happen but we've gotta be optimistic that people are out here together, in spirit, enjoying themselves in celebration. Furniture also burned: Revelers watch as a couch burns after Michigan State's huge upset over Ohio State . Take him away boys: Members of the Michigan State Police Department arrest an unruly celebrant . Mass of humanity: Thousands of Michigan State students celebrated the football team's Big Ten title with large, rowdy bonfires . Surf's up!: Students crowd surf around bonfires in the middle of raucous crowds . Pictures and footage from the out-of-control Cedar Hill celebration showed couches and mattresses on fire. MSU student newspaper The State reported students ripping large trees out of the ground to add the raging blaze. Multiple media outlets reported flames shooting higher than 20 feet in the air as unruly students cheered them on. At least a dozen rioters were arrested in Cedar Hill, according to the Lansing State Journal. The unrest was finally put to bed about an hour before daybreak by police in riot gear, according to reports. ‘It’s more tradition than anything,’ Joe Sheena, an MSU senior, told the Journal. ‘We’re not a school of pyromaniacs.’ Hundreds of fireworks were also set off during the hours of lawlessness that threatened to take hold of the college town. Some students even decided jumping onto a police car was a good idea. ‘Students took the opportunity to mess with the car,’ sophomore Jeff Nemesi told The State. ‘The car backed out, which, of course, made them go even more crazy.’ Fuel for the fire: Students add wood to an already raging bonfire while rioting after the Spartans beat the Ohio State Buckeyes . An MSU football fan is detained after an unruly celebration at Cedar Village turned into a melee . Move along people: Members of the East Lansing Police Department and the Michigan State Police move in to disperse unruly celebrants . Daybreak showed the true extent of the damage. Broken televisions thrown onto the street, overturned cars, burned furniture left in the middle of the street, smashed pumpkins, broken windows –chaos. A nearby store saw an opportunity and jumped on it, according to the Journal. ‘Burn your mattress?? $50 off any mattress tomorrow for #MSU students! #EastLansing #Cedarfest,’ read a tweet from Mattress Factory Outlet. ‘We weren’t condoning in any way the events that were taking place, but we did want to let people know we were there,’ a store spokesperson told the paper. Not all students were happy with the mass celebrating, including the MSU senior who’s car was flipped over. ‘I was just shocked,’ the student told WOODTV. ‘I didn't think that would happen or someone would do that here, I guess. But I was pretty angry, too.’ ‘Why would you do that?’ Led away in hand cuffs: Members of the Michigan State Police Department arrest unruly celebrants . School officials also lashed out at the students. ‘The behavior last night on campus and in East Lansing by both students and non-students was disappointing,’ MSU President Lou Anna Simon said in a statement. ‘Unfortunately, the behavior of a small number casts doubt on many,’ the statement continued. 'These incidents will be reviewed within the appropriate legal and university processes and individuals will be held accountable.’ It was not immediately clear what punishment would be meted out to students found to have contributed to the destruction. Atheletic Director Mark Hollis echoed those comments. ‘People need to celebrate in a responsible way,’ he told the Detroit Free-Press. ‘I am proud of the performance of our football team. There is no place for destructive celebrations. I hope our fans and campus are safe.’ The school’s alumni association president also hit out at the revelers. ‘True Spartans do not burn things, break laws or mess with my Spartan Cops If you do, you're not one of us,’ Scott Westerman said via Twitter, according to WLNS. The Spartans' win gave them the Big 10 championship and their first trip to the prestigious Rose Bowl since 1988. They will face Pac-12 champ Stanford in the New Year's Day game. Officers from the East Lansing Police Department, the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Michigan State Police, and Michigan State University Police responded to the anarchy. ELPD are reviewing videos posted online and are actively seeking to arrest those it deems responsible for the destruction. The department has also asked the public to help identify people shown in pictures and videos. Charges will be pressed against anyone identified.
The Michigan State Spartans beat the heavily-favored Ohio State Buckeyes 34-24 in Saturday's Big Ten Conference Championship .
The team earned an automatic invite to the prestigious Rose Bowl - it's first appearance in the game since 1988 .
Students numbering in the thousands poured into the streets surrounding the school's East Lansing campus .
They set off fireworks, lit fire to trees, couches and mattress and even flipped at least one car - flames shot upwards of 20 feet into the air .
At least 12 people were arrested as school officials condemned the lawlessness .
Michigan State University students celebrated their football team’s first invite to the Rose Bowl in decades Saturday by rioting through East Lansing. Large groups of students swarmed neighborhoods near the university’s campus early Sunday morning chanting, lighting fires, setting off fireworks and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The Michigan State Spartans pulled off a historic upset by beating the undefeated No. 3-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 34-24 in the Big 10 Conference championship game earlier in the day. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Anarchy: Michigan State University fans riot in East Lansing, Mich., early Sunday . Widespread destruction: Revelers rip a tree out of the ground to add it to one of the many fires burning . Fired up: Revelers mill around one of the many fires set at Cedar Village . Several fires were set throughout the city by thousands of people, according to WOODTV. No injuries were reported, but the destruction was widespread. Multiple people were arrested, but the names of those taken into custody have not been released, nor has the number of people detained. The East Lansing Police Department announced it will make the names of those arrested public on Monday morning. Groups of students numbering into the several hundreds each terrorized neighborhoods near campus early while chanting ‘we smell roses,’ according to reports. Police responding around 4am in the Cedar Grove neighborhood of the city encountered a group of students too numerous to count crowded around a bonfire, officials said. The rowdy crowd was threatened with tear gas, but dispersed before any was used, cops noted. ‘I see it as a great thing,’ a rioter told Fox 47. ‘Things happen but we've gotta be optimistic that people are out here together, in spirit, enjoying themselves in celebration. Furniture also burned: Revelers watch as a couch burns after Michigan State's huge upset over Ohio State . Take him away boys: Members of the Michigan State Police Department arrest an unruly celebrant . Mass of humanity: Thousands of Michigan State students celebrated the football team's Big Ten title with large, rowdy bonfires . Surf's up!: Students crowd surf around bonfires in the middle of raucous crowds . Pictures and footage from the out-of-control Cedar Hill celebration showed couches and mattresses on fire. MSU student newspaper The State reported students ripping large trees out of the ground to add the raging blaze. Multiple media outlets reported flames shooting higher than 20 feet in the air as unruly students cheered them on. At least a dozen rioters were arrested in Cedar Hill, according to the Lansing State Journal. The unrest was finally put to bed about an hour before daybreak by police in riot gear, according to reports. ‘It’s more tradition than anything,’ Joe Sheena, an MSU senior, told the Journal. ‘We’re not a school of pyromaniacs.’ Hundreds of fireworks were also set off during the hours of lawlessness that threatened to take hold of the college town. Some students even decided jumping onto a police car was a good idea. ‘Students took the opportunity to mess with the car,’ sophomore Jeff Nemesi told The State. ‘The car backed out, which, of course, made them go even more crazy.’ Fuel for the fire: Students add wood to an already raging bonfire while rioting after the Spartans beat the Ohio State Buckeyes . An MSU football fan is detained after an unruly celebration at Cedar Village turned into a melee . Move along people: Members of the East Lansing Police Department and the Michigan State Police move in to disperse unruly celebrants . Daybreak showed the true extent of the damage. Broken televisions thrown onto the street, overturned cars, burned furniture left in the middle of the street, smashed pumpkins, broken windows –chaos. A nearby store saw an opportunity and jumped on it, according to the Journal. ‘Burn your mattress?? $50 off any mattress tomorrow for #MSU students! #EastLansing #Cedarfest,’ read a tweet from Mattress Factory Outlet. ‘We weren’t condoning in any way the events that were taking place, but we did want to let people know we were there,’ a store spokesperson told the paper. Not all students were happy with the mass celebrating, including the MSU senior who’s car was flipped over. ‘I was just shocked,’ the student told WOODTV. ‘I didn't think that would happen or someone would do that here, I guess. But I was pretty angry, too.’ ‘Why would you do that?’ Led away in hand cuffs: Members of the Michigan State Police Department arrest unruly celebrants . School officials also lashed out at the students. ‘The behavior last night on campus and in East Lansing by both students and non-students was disappointing,’ MSU President Lou Anna Simon said in a statement. ‘Unfortunately, the behavior of a small number casts doubt on many,’ the statement continued. 'These incidents will be reviewed within the appropriate legal and university processes and individuals will be held accountable.’ It was not immediately clear what punishment would be meted out to students found to have contributed to the destruction. Atheletic Director Mark Hollis echoed those comments. ‘People need to celebrate in a responsible way,’ he told the Detroit Free-Press. ‘I am proud of the performance of our football team. There is no place for destructive celebrations. I hope our fans and campus are safe.’ The school’s alumni association president also hit out at the revelers. ‘True Spartans do not burn things, break laws or mess with my Spartan Cops If you do, you're not one of us,’ Scott Westerman said via Twitter, according to WLNS. The Spartans' win gave them the Big 10 championship and their first trip to the prestigious Rose Bowl since 1988. They will face Pac-12 champ Stanford in the New Year's Day game. Officers from the East Lansing Police Department, the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Michigan State Police, and Michigan State University Police responded to the anarchy. ELPD are reviewing videos posted online and are actively seeking to arrest those it deems responsible for the destruction. The department has also asked the public to help identify people shown in pictures and videos. Charges will be pressed against anyone identified.
their football team’s first invite to the Rose off fireworks and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The Michigan State Spartans pulled No. 3-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 34-24 in the Big 10 Conference championship game earlier in the number of people detained. The East Lansing Groups of students numbering into the several celebrated the football team's Big Ten title with couches and mattresses on fire. MSU student shooting higher than 20 feet in the air as unruly students cheered them on. At least a dozen rioters were arrested in Cedar Hill, according to while rioting after the Spartans beat the Ohio after an unruly celebration at Cedar Village prestigious Rose Bowl since 1988. They will face