How FAU stirred up Clemson fans before Saturday night’s game in Death Valley
The Florida Atlantic football team added some extra fuel to the fire ahead of its Saturday game against Clemson with a pregame gesture.
Before heading back to the visitors locker room about 30 minutes before kickoff, the Owls gathered at midfield directly above the Tiger Paw on the 50-yard line of Memorial Stadium.
Florida Atlantic’s pregame meeting on the Paw drew boos from a number of Clemson fans in attendance for the team’s first night game of the year. Multiple Owls players and staffers pumped up the crowd in reaction to those boos, according to observations by a State reporter.
FAU’s on-field meeting isn’t the norm for opposing teams at Memorial Stadium, which generally jog back into the locker room after pregame warmups on the field.
Responding to the move on the platform X (formerly Twitter), Clemson fans weren’t happy. A sampling of reactions:
- “Disrespectful”
- “Pulling the tail of the tiger”
- “Boutta learn what valley it is”
After Clemson beat Florida Atlantic 48-14 behind four total touchdowns by quarterback Cade Klubnik, FAU coach Tom Herman (formerly of Texas) said the Owls meet at the 50-yard line to end their pregame warm-up routine.
That meeting at the 50-yard line takes place whether Florida Atlantic is playing home or away, Herman said, and comes directly after a team punt return drill.
Clemson moved to 2-1 with Saturday’s win and faces No. 3 FSU next weekend in Death Valley. FAU, which competes in the American Athletic, dropped to 1-2.
This story was originally published September 16, 2023 at 8:06 PM with the headline "How FAU stirred up Clemson fans before Saturday night’s game in Death Valley."
