A bald eagle went rogue and landed on college football fans following the national anthem before the Cotton Bowl on Saturday.

The bird was released to fly around AT&T Stadium in Dallas during "The Star-Spangled Banner," but upon its conclusion, videos and photos posted to social media show the bird did not return to its handler ahead of the matchup between No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame.

Instead, the trained bird landed on two Notre Dame fans.



The eagle they had flying around during the national anthem appears to have gotten very confused and landed on a random spectator? pic.twitter.com/x10f3FtMvk — Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) December 29, 2018



One of these individuals, a man sporting a Notre Dame hoodie, held up the bald eagle on his right arm to cheers from the crowd.



This fan just got the memory of a lifetime during the #CottonBowl national anthem 😂

(📷 via @CBusIrish) pic.twitter.com/Ne2XqltiGc — RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) December 29, 2018



According to Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde, who was in attendance, the bird was "apprehended" by its handlers soon after.

In a similar instance in Major League Baseball last spring, Seattle Mariners pitcher James Paxton had an unexpected guest — a bald eagle — land on his shoulder during the national anthem at the Minnesota Twins' home opener.