The Atlantic Coast Conference has fined Syracuse $25,000 and issued a public reprimand after ruling that the Orange deliberately faked injuries to slow down Clemson’s offense during their 34-21 victory on Saturday.
In a statement released Monday, the league said Syracuse’s actions were “unethical and contrary to the spirit of the rules,” citing a clear attempt to exploit the new NCAA injury timeout rule that was implemented this year to curb gamesmanship.
With 9:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik connected with wide receiver Tristan Smith on a 23-yard completion to the Syracuse 9-yard line. Immediately after the play, defensive linemen Nissi Ogbebor and Kevin Jobity Jr. both collapsed to the turf, prompting game officials to stop play so trainers could attend to them. The stoppage drew loud boos from the crowd at Memorial Stadium and stalled the Tigers’ up-tempo drive.
The ACC, in consultation with the National Coordinator of Football Officials, determined that the sequence violated the intent of the rule. While teams are normally charged a timeout if a player goes down after the ball is spotted, Syracuse avoided that penalty because both players fell before the ball was set. The league ruled that Syracuse manipulated this loophole to gain an “unmerited advantage.”
Klubnik voiced his frustration after the loss, saying the repeated stoppages disrupted Clemson’s rhythm.
“We were playing with tempo and props to them, they stopped us on some third downs and then they have an injury or something like that when we really got going,” Klubnik said. “That was definitely tough for us to really get in a rhythm. We’re playing fast and unfortunately they had a guy get hurt or a timeout or something like that.”
The incident has reignited long-standing debates around fake injuries in college football, an issue that prompted the NCAA to adopt stricter enforcement guidelines this season. Syracuse is the first school publicly fined under the new rule.
While the fine does not impact the Orange’s win, the reprimand puts the program on notice for future violations. The ACC emphasized its commitment to “ensuring fair play and protecting the integrity of the game.”
Syracuse (3-1, 1-0 ACC) will look to move forward from the controversy as it prepares for its next conference matchup, while Clemson (1-3, 0-2) continues to search for consistency after dropping its ACC opener.
