Reading Time: 2 minutes
College football fans are used to seeing drama unfold on the field.
But sometimes, the most entertaining action is happening in the stands.
That was certainly the case during Ole Miss’ wild 41-38 victory over Louisville on Sunday, when one Rebels fan unexpectedly became the star of the show after ESPN cameras caught her having what appeared to be a minor emotional crisis.
The woman, identified online as Sara Smith, was shown during the third quarter as Louisville attempted a comeback.
With Ole Miss clinging to a 24-22 lead, the Cardinals scored a touchdown — and Smith’s reaction said pretty much everything.
She raised her arms, put her hands on her head and appeared visibly distressed as she watched the action unfold.
In other words, she looked exactly like every college football fan who has ever watched their team’s supposedly comfortable lead disappear before their very eyes.
Of course, she had no idea she was about to become internet famous.
Smith was sitting among Ole Miss supporters, apparently cheering for the Rebels, when the ESPN camera found her in the crowd.
It didn’t take long for social media sleuths to start doing what social media sleuths do best: identifying strangers.
The X account Campus Cuties publicly identified the woman as Smith and subsequently shared a photo of her in a blue bikini, adding another layer to the unexpected viral moment.
An Instagram account believed to belong to Smith is private, though its bio reportedly identifies her as an Ole Miss alum from Knoxville.
As of Tuesday, Smith had not publicly addressed her sudden internet fame.
Frankly, it’s probably for the best. After all, she was just trying to survive an Ole Miss football game.
The Rebels eventually made sure her suffering had a happy ending.
Freshman kicker Lucas Carneiro drilled a 48-yard field goal as time expired, giving Ole Miss the dramatic 41-38 victory in the Music City Kickoff.
So while the players will get credit for the win, Smith may have walked away with something arguably more powerful: a viral moment she never asked for.
It’s become something of a college football tradition at this point.
Every season, cameras find an unsuspecting fan in the crowd, the internet decides that person is fascinating, and suddenly someone who was simply attending a game is being discussed by thousands of strangers online.
This time, Smith drew the lucky — or perhaps deeply unlucky — straw.
Hey, at least her team won. And now Ole Miss fans have someone to talk about who’s not named Lane Kiffin.
Viral Ole Miss Fan Identified as Sara Smith: Why Is She Suddenly Famous? was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.