ACC imposes hefty fine on Steve Angeli's Syracuse for controversial behavior in win over Clemson

After it was all said and done, the win over the Clemson Tigers doesn’t feel as great for Steve Angeli and the Syracuse Orange. In addition to the starting quarterback’s reported season-ending injury, the school in New York has been seriously sanctioned by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Sometimes, a big step forward leads to many steps back. That could very well be the case for Syracuse’s triumph at Death Valley. Though Clemson is mired in concerns and drama, a road win against the Tigers is nothing short of an accomplishment for the Orange. However, it came with its fair share of consequences in the NCAA season.

Not only did the program’s number one signal-caller go down with a serious injury, but the school is also being forced to foot a hefty bill. The reason? The ACC believes Syracuse faked injuries during the late stages of the Clemson game. Determined to stamp out such behavior in college football, the league responded with a significant fine.

“The ACC fined Syracuse $25,000 and publicly reprimanded the school for faking injuries in a 34-21 win over Clemson last weekend, calling its actions ‘unethical and contrary to the spirit of the rules,'” ESPN reported.

Rickie Collins #10 of the Syracuse Orange against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium

Call it as you see it

Fake injuries have been a hot topic in the NCAA for a minute now. Several conferences put out firm statements last season condemning that conduct and reassuring there would be consequences for teams who were found guilty on those grounds. It seems Syracuse learned that lesson the hard way. Regardless, the game will still go up in the win column for the Orange.

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After the game, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik didn’t mince words about the suspicious injuries stoppages which halted the Tigers’ drives before gaining momentum.

“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 vividly said. “That’s up to them if they want to be honest about that. It 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.”

Repeat offenders

Needless to say, Syracuse didn’t reinvent the wheel. Fake injuries have been part of college football for a long time. However, the ACC’s fine brought an important precedent back to the surface.

Especially since Syracuse had already pulled a not-so-subtle double-injury stunt against the Tennessee Volunteers in the 2025 NCAA season opener. It didn’t work for the Orange then, as they lost 45–26, but this time it did—only to come back and bite them.

With that play fresh on everybody’s mind, the ACC didn’t stutter to intervene and sanction the school in Onondaga County. “The actions by the two players – especially with the concurrent action by the coach in the team area – were a clear attempt to gain an unmerited advantage by stopping the game in order to secure an injury timeout,” the league’s statement read.