Syracuse, N.Y. -- Former Syracuse star defensive back Alijah Clark drew rave reviews from across the country for a play that epitomized fighting spirit and helped the Dallas Cowboys to a win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
The play begins with Clark being knocked down while trying to cover a punt return late in the game against Philadelphia and ends with him getting back to his feet, absorbing a second shove, sprinting down the field and knocking ball out of the hands of Philadelphia’s Xavier Gipson with a booming hit.
The game was tied at 21 with just over 5 minutes remaining when Clark forced the fumble. Dallas went on to win 24-21.
Tom Brady commented on the play on Fox’s broadcast praising Clark for his relentlessness and his hustle.
“Look at that hustle,” Bready said. “Who wants to be a gunner in the NFL? Not me. But Clark, relentless effort, just great hustle and causing a massive turnover.”
Former Washington Redskins star Robert Griffin III said that Clark “is the difference between winning and losing” and that “every parent should show this to their kids and every coach should show this clip to their team.”
NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid noted, “this is how you stay in the NFL a long time.”
ESPN’s Pat McAfee said Clark “is everything that is great about football.”
When Clark spoke to reporters about the play on Monday he referenced what he learned a Syracuse multiple times, repeating phrases that are common mantras around head coach Fran Brown’s program.
“I was taught how you do everything is how you do anything,” Clark said. “I’m from Camden, New Jersey so my life been up and down my whole life. Getting knocked down was pretty much nothing but it was more about getting back up and keep trying.”
Clark noted that he grew up just 10 minutes from Philadelphia but grew up a fan of the San Francisco 49ers.
“I know everybody watching back at home and it’s the Eagles,” Clark said. “I ain’t about to let nobody from Philly put their hands on me like that and not do nothing.”
Clark also referenced Brown’s DART philosophy and thanked both him and Rutgers coach Greg Schiano for their influence in making him a regular on special teams in college.
“I had a lot of coaches send me that clip and say I’m showing this in my team meeting today,” Brown said. “You want 11 Cinco’s on the field all the time.”
“I think I put DART on display,” Clark said. “Just not giving up, being relentless and tough enough to keep going. ... Coach Fran played a big part in that and Coach Schiano as well, I want to shout him out at Rutgers. He was a big special teams guy.”
Clark went undrafted in last year’s NFL Draft. He failed to make Dallas’ 53-man roster out of training camp but impressed enough that he was later signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad.
He was elevated to the 53-man roster on Oct. 24, and it took him less than a month to make a game-changing play.
“It’s a bigger message than a football play,” Clark said. “You get knocked down just get back up and keep trying. The worst thing you can do is stop trying. You can either get made a clown or, like you said, have a viral moment for a little bit.”
Dallas is currently 5-5-1 this season. in addition to Clark, Justin Barron is on Dallas’ practice squad.
Syracuse currently has at least 20 former players under contract with NFL franchises across active rosters, practice squads or on injured reserve.