WATCH: Miami fans catch falling cat dangling from upper deck at Hurricanes football game

The Miami Hurricanes came into Saturday’s game against Appalachian State with the hopes of reshaping their image after Alabama sledgehammered them, 44-13, in the season-opener. Those hopes were dashed by an unlikely source of attention: a cat. 

Midway through the game in Hard Rock Stadium, a cat found itself dangling from the upper deck to the fans’ dismay. The cat held onto the railing with two paws at first, eventually lost its grip on one then fell to the lower deck. 

Thankfully, a fan caught the cat and saved its life. The cats’ savior then held the animal up to the crowd in Lion King-esque fashion and earned as loud a round of applause and cheers as those after a Canes touchdown. 

Here’s another view, this one showing a fan trying to grab the cat before it fell off the railing and a litany of “Oh my Gods” from the audience. 

Cats have taken center stage in numerous sporting events this year. In August, a cat stormed Yankees Stadium and proceeded to earn M-V-P chants. Another cat raced onto the grass in Coors Field in April to hang out with the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger. 

The Hurricanes may right the ship and beat App State, but it’s hard to imagine a win over a Sun Belt team pulling more eyeballs than the Hard Rock Cat. Maybe the Canes will be “back” next week.