Pac-12 football is known to get wild after dark, and that rang true in the most literal sense during the USC-Arizona State game Saturday. A fox scurried onto the Sun Devil Stadium turf only 2:37 into the first quarter before jumping into the stands to join the fans.
The fox's appearance stunned the announcers, with one saying, "This fox is a wild child" and another mistaking it for a cat. Play stopped as ASU security attempted to corral the animal.
— #FrankWasRight (@frankwasrightt) November 7, 2021
Security eventually guided the fox into the tunnel. Or, as one announcer put it, "off into the desert." How very Pac-12.
We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you this important message.
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 7, 2021
There is a FOX on the field, @ASUFootball. 🦊
📺 ESPN
📱 https://t.co/oIyZfYSpgK pic.twitter.com/5jSzEckkE1
Like the spread offense or run-pass options, foxes have begun to percolate around college football. Another fox sprinted onto the Texas Longhorns' field during its Oct. 9 Red River Showdown against Oklahoma. The Sooners eventually won that game thanks to a two-touchdown performance from then-backup quarterback Caleb Williams.
iykyk 🦊 pic.twitter.com/qtBG7nSKeo
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) October 9, 2021
ASU (6-3) scored first after the fox left the field via a 14-yard touchdown run from DeaMonte Trayanum, and USC (4-5) was unable to come back from its 7-0 deficit, losing 31-16. Perhaps the fox returning punts could have helped the Trojans get back into it, because in the Pac-12 even something as crazy as that could have happened.