Skip to main content
Join Now
Get a profile. Be recruited.

Steve Spurrier endorses field storming if safety procedures are in place

Danby: Daniel Hager4 hours agoDanielHagerOn3
Steve-Spurrier-endorses-field-storming-if-safety-procedures-are-in-place
© Ernst Peters / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

College football is all about tradition. One of the greatest traditions in the sport has to be fans rushing the field after a major upset victory.

A field rush occurred this weekend, as Georgia Tech upset No. 12 Clemson 24-21 at home thanks to a game-winning 55-yard field goal hit by kicker Aidan Burr. It marked the Yellow Jackets’ first win over the Tigers since 2014, leading the stadium to pour out onto the field following the win.

For years now, those in and around the college football world have debated whether or not rushing the field should be allowed. The ‘Ol’ Ball Coach’ Steve Spurrier weighed in on the topic on Monday’s edition of ‘Another Dooley Noted Podcast‘, where he revealed that he actually doesn’t have a problem with it.

“Georgia Tech, they played well and almost their whole stadium came down on the field,” Spurrier said. “They rushed the field, and I think [Tennessee] was ready to do that Saturday also if they had won.

“I think it’s okay. Five minutes and give the other team time to get off the field. Go down there, run around and act goofy a little bit. That’s what college football is. You don’t do it every game. You pick a game that means something. I think it’s motivating for the team if it’s a ‘rush the field game. You have to be careful and I don’t see anything wrong with it until somebody really gets hurt. They’re jumping on those goal posts and taking them down to the river and all that. Nobody’s got killed yet, but they’ve probably gotten hurt.”

Florida State, Miss State and Georgia Tech fans have already rushed field this season

Leagues around the sport have put in place new measures to try and prevent this from happening. Just this offseason, the Southeastern Conference increased the fine to $500k per field rush. The previous model invoked a $100k fine for the first offense, a $250k for the second offense and a $500k fine for the third offense.

“The motivation was ‘field rushing is field rushing, the first time or the 18th time,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said back in May. “The random nature of, if you’re the one getting rushed, it doesn’t feel good. It might be the first time (it happened) there, but it might be your sixth time in a row, literally.”

Although the sport is trying to crack down on it from occurring, Florida State (Alabama), Mississippi State (Arizona State) and Georgia Tech (Clemson) fans have already rushed the field following big wins this season.