Clemson football field storming: Why fans storm Memorial Stadium after home games

College football is back, and so are the field storms that can arise throughout the season.

The likely candidate for the first field storming of the 2025 college football season is No.

6 Clemson vs.

No.

9 LSU at Memorial Stadium, a matchup that already has a ton of bragging rights involved with who has the real Death Valley stadium atmosphere.

PATH TO THE PLAYOFFS: Sign up for our college football newsletterBut regardless of the outcome of the potential College Football Playoff matchup, there will still be a field storming after the clock hits 0:00 in Death Valley on Aug.

30 by the home fans.Why is that? That's not usual.

Well, much like everything in college football, there's a story behind this Clemson tradition.Here's what you need to know about field storming in college football and how each of the Power Four conferences handle it, including why it takes place at Memorial Stadium after each Clemson home game:Why do Clemson football fans storm field every game?Though field storming customarily takes place in college football when a home team either defeats a higher-ranked team or one of its rivals, that isn't why it takes place after every single Clemson football home gameInstead, storming the field after each home game is one of the Tigers' traditions at Memorial Stadium: Gathering at the Paw.The tradition of Gathering at the Paw, which was formalized in 2003, dates back to the stadium's opening in 1942, when former Clemson coach Frank Howard invited fans onto the field to interact with players after games, regardless of the game's outcome, win or lose.

The "Paw", of course, refers to the large orange tiger paw that is painted and placed at midfield of Memorial Stadium.REQUIRED READING: Seven bold possibilities for 2025 college football season that aren't crazyACC policy on field stormingIn July, the ACC announced a change to the conference's safety requirements for field and court storming for both football and basketball games.

This, of course, impacts the Tigers' Gathering at the Paw tradition.

Noted by the Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network, the ACC's rule change still allows for spectators to storm the field or court after a win (or a game), but they must wait to enter the field or court until after the visiting teams and officials have "safely" exited the field of play.

Additionally, each of the ACC members is now required to develop event security plans for these instances for the safety of those on the field or court.Like the SEC, the ACC will issue fines to those who violate the policy: $50,000 for the first offense, $100,000 for the second and $200,000 for the third time.

Fines will reset every two years, while the money will go toward the ACC's scholarship fund.To compare the ACC's fines to another Power Four conference like the SEC, they are not as steep.

The SEC issues a $100,000 fine for a first offense, a $250,000 fine for a second offense and a $500,000 fine for three or more offenses."The Gathering at the Paw tradition is really, really special at Clemson, really unique and something that we want to continue," Clemson athletic director Neff said at a news conference on Aug.

5.

"Now its gotta look different.

Were going to abide by and support the new ACC policy, so we need our fans help with that.

...

We are trying to balance the unique tradition and continue the unique tradition that we have while also respecting the policies that are at hand and and just the safety and environment of what our postgame field looks like, particularly after charged games.

"We're working on the sequencing and what the postgame process looks like.

...

Ill double down and say it again: We need our fans' help and support and recognition of that."The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news fast.

Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why do Clemson football fans storm field following every home game?.

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