A college football game gave the internet its latest unlikely celebrity after a camera briefly captured a blonde woman looking absolutely devastated in the stands.
Keep reading to learn more.
The five-second broadcast clip from the Ole Miss Rebels vs. Louisville Cardinals season opener on September 6 quickly racked up millions of views, as viewers became fascinated by the woman’s expression. Soon after, internet sleuths began trying to figure out who she was.
Before long, social media sleuths identified her as Sara Smith, an Ole Miss alum from Knoxville, Tennessee.
A Five-Second Sports Reaction Was All It Took
The moment happened during the third quarter, when Louisville tied the game with quarterback Lincoln Kienholz’s 62-yard touchdown pass to Tre Richardson.
As Louisville celebrated, television cameras turned toward the disappointed Ole Miss crowd.
That’s when Sara appeared on screen in a powder-blue dress, looking visibly unhappy about what had just happened.
She stood with her hands clasped over her head in the classic “surrender cobra” pose, a familiar sports-fan reaction to watching your team fall apart.
The camera quickly moved on.
The internet did not.
Within hours, the clip was everywhere.
One viewer wrote, “I do declare that I believe that I am coming down with a case of the vapors.” While another added, “looks better than ur average actress nowadays”
Once her identity was circulating, viewers discovered that Sara is an Ole Miss alum and is studying to become a physician assistant.
Her public TikTok account has around 3,000 followers, and she had previously shared posts about her engagement ring.
On August 5, she showed off the ring, while a later post included a sweet message about the meaning behind it.
Sara Finally Addressed The Attention and Revealed Her DMs
A day after the clip went viral, Sara appeared to acknowledge the attention herself.
She posted a TikTok showing some of the messages she’d received since appearing on the football broadcast.
Her caption was simple, “Yes, that was me.”
Many of the messages came from men offering to provide for her or shower her with gifts. One man introduced himself with a list of credentials.
“God-fearing, 6’1”, 260 pounds, business owner, 500,000 take-home annually.”
Another apparently asked whether she wanted anything from Whole Foods.
Someone else simply offered, “Bankrupt me.”
Others proposed trips to Miami or asked whether they could bring her something back from Paris.
When one person asked what she wanted, Sara jokingly responded, “I like Louis Vuitton.”
One Stranger Compared Her To “Nacreous Clouds”
Not every message was about money or luxury shopping.
One admirer compared Sara to nacreous clouds, rare and highly iridescent clouds that form high in the atmosphere.
Sara reportedly called that message the most “unique” one she’d received.
Others suggested that fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci should recruit her for modeling.
Sara appeared to play along, jokingly encouraging the brands to get in touch.
For someone who went from an anonymous football fan to an overnight internet sensation because of a five-second reaction shot, she seemed to be taking the bizarre situation with a sense of humor.
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