Although their team lost to Clemson in Saturday's Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, two Notre Dame fans got a consolation prize before the game even started: a surprise visit from a rogue bald eagle.

According to ESPN, the stately bird, which was brought to AT&T Stadium for the national anthem, took a couple of detours while flying over the crowd, landing on a shocked spectator before resting on another Notre Dame fan's arm.

>> Watch the moments here

The second fan, Tuyen Nguyen of South Bend, Indiana, told ESPN that stretching his arm out to the eagle was an "instant reaction."

"He looked pretty tired," Nguyen told ESPN. "I just put my hand out to see if he was going to land on me, and he did."

>> See one of the viral photos here

Handlers eventually retrieved the eagle, whose name is Clark, ESPN reported.

>> Read more trending news

Clemson defeated Notre Dame 30-3 to advance to the college football national title game, where the No. 2 Tigers will face No. 1 Alabama on Jan. 7 in Santa Clara, California.

Read more here.

Clemson University Football By The Numbers

About the Author

Keep Reading

A nice-sized crowd remained for the final hole of the Creator Classic at East Lake, Aug. 20, 2025. Minutes later, the skies opened, and players finished in the rain. (Stan Awtrey/AJC)

Credit: Stan Awtrey

Featured

Cuthbert is the county seat of Randolph County, one of 94 Georgia counties that registered more deaths than births in 2024. The county's hospital closed in 2020, leaving longtime state Rep. Gerald Greene to drivce himself 46 miles to Albany while suffering from a kidney stone recently. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC