Clemson fell 34-21 to Fran Brown’s Syracuse this past Saturday in an embarrassing defeat. But some late-game unfair tactics have gone out to make headlines that would arrive two days later. After Cade Klubnik hit Tristan Smith for a near touchdown, Clemson went back to the line to gain advantage of the tempo, but there were, curiously, two players on the field down with an injury, and that led to a stoppage. Clemson went on to score, but that injury stoppage caught the eyes of ACC, and well, what happened next is fair.

On Monday, the ACC issued an institutional fine of $25,000 and a public reprimand to Syracuse for faking injuries. They cited a violation of NCAA Football Rule 3-3-6-b, which says faking injuries is considered “unethical and contrary to the spirit of the rules.” The conference also stated that the fine paid by the university will be deposited into the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship account. Moreover, the play was reviewed by the league officials as well as the National Coordinator of Football Officials, who came to the conclusion that the actions of Syracuse players and Fran Brown violated the spirit of injury timeout rules and fair play.

The violation was pinned to a specific moment in the fourth quarter when 9:25 remained on the clock. ACC stated that the action of two players, “especially with the concurrent action by the coach in the team area,” was a “clear attempt to gain an unmerited advantage by stopping the game in order to secure an injury timeout.” That timeline fits in the broader context of Clemson’s push after Smith’s reception. After the play, Syracuse DL Nissi Ogbebor and Kevin Jobity were seen lying on the ground, which was seen as tempo manipulation at a critical point in the game. Within this context, the penalty is seen as a targeted response to a behavior aimed at undermining the spirit of the game.

Syracuse University Athletics has acknowledged and accepted the reprimand and fine. They have also affirmed that they have a commitment to sportsmanship and competitive integrity across their programs. The ACC, for its part, said the funds will support its postgraduate scholarship account and that it considers the matter closed following the institutional fine and public reprimand. 

The conference’s actions are an example of a broader crackdown on unsportsmanlike gamesmanship that has been disrupting the flow of the game for quite some time now. As the sport moves towards a fast-paced offense, these fake stoppages really hinder an offense’s ability to carry out its strategy without any disruption. This has drawn not only tangible consequences but also a backlash on social media. The ACC has done a commendable job of making the game fairer while balancing the safety protocols, and it must discourage future attempts to manipulate momentum just like they did in this case.

Tempo, frustration, and fines

Syracuse has been fined $25000 now, but after the game, Klubnik actually called out the frequent interruptions in tempo by Syracuse. After the loss to Syracuse, Klubnik said, “We were playing with tempo and props to them, they stopped us on some 3rd downs, and at certain times, they had an injury or something like that, when we really got going. So, that’s up to them if they wanna be honest about that, but that was definitely tough for us to really get in the rhythm of playing fast,” as he described the rhythm-breaking stoppages. Now, in hindsight, he was definitely right.

Swinney also acknowledged the quarterback’s irritations but said, “You can’t get frustrated with that. You just gotta play.” But Klubnik was right in getting irritated by that. It was cheating, and now Syracuse has been given the penalty they deserved, but Clemson has already lost the game, so it doesn’t matter. ACC’s decision serves as a stark reminder for every team that bending the rules, finding loopholes, and taking advantage of them won’t be tolerated in the conference.