They barreled down the hill at Death Valley, dozens of orange-clad Clemson football players, slapping Howard’s Rock and entering the stadium to the sonic-boom cheers of 85,000 fans. They whooped it up, bouncing on the balls of their feet as they prepared to take on Florida State in the 2006 edition of the Bowden Bowl. The band resounded, the crowd pulsed, the atmosphere was college football at its purest.
Seven-and-a-half minutes and four plays later, it was over. The “players” and “coaches” left the field. Because this wasn’t 2006, this was 2019, and the actors had to make way for the real Clemson football team.