College football player ejected from game for spitting on opponent

A college football player was ejected from the Memphis-South Florida game on Saturday after he spit on an opponent.

It happened just over 3 and a half minutes into the second quarter at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, playing host to the game instead of Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium — USF’s usual home — due to Hurricane Milton.

That’s when Mario Anderson, Memphis’s running back, was seen spitting on USF defensive tackle Doug Blue-Eli. Blue-Eli responded by shoving him in the back of his helmet. Here’s video:

mario anderson ejected for spitting on usf player. damn. pic.twitter.com/AxKMlbLzLI

— Devin Walker (@Devin_Walker2) October 12, 2024

Eventually, officials decided to eject Anderson from the game. It’s a big loss for the Tigers’ offense as Anderson entered as one of the leading RBs in The American, ranking in the top 5 in rushing yards and touchdowns.

If the name Mario Anderson sounds familiar, that’s because he was a member of the South Carolina football team in 2023. He enjoyed a terrific season in Columbia, rushing for 707 yards and 3 touchdowns on 143 carries, an impressive 4.9 yards-per-carry average. He also had 22 catches for 153 yards and a score.

He entered the transfer portal at the conclusion of the season, ultimately deciding to join Ryan Silverfield’s program over USC. Coming into Saturday’s game, he had 76 carries for 438 yards and 8 touchdowns through 5 games, plus 20 catches for 125 yards.

Memphis started the day at 4-1. USF was 2-3 heading into the contest.

Sydney Hunte

Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.