All hell broke loose in the third quarter of the Cheez-It Bowl on Tuesday. It wasn’t the players. It was South Carolina coach Shane Beamer going after Illinois’ Bret Bielema.
An Illinois DB was injured on a long pass play by South Carolina. Bielema came across the field to check on his player.
When the Illini coach came across and then went back to his sideline he extended his arms, taunting Beamer.
The South Carolina coach absolutely lost his cool. He was screaming at Bielema and stormed on the field before being restrained
Shane Beamer charging at Bret Bielema 😳
The Citrus Bowl is OFF THE RAILSpic.twitter.com/QqNCsr8O54
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 31, 2024
Shane Beamer charging at Bret Bielema 😳
The Citrus Bowl is OFF THE RAILSpic.twitter.com/QqNCsr8O54
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 31, 2024
The Citrus Bowl is insane, Illinois HC Bret Bielema went to tend to an injured player and started taunting South Carolina HC Shane Beamer about the substitution gamesmanship.
Beamer lost his mind … random bowl hatred is the best pic.twitter.com/vEgU4cWVgX
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) December 31, 2024
South Carolina went on to score on the drive to take a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter.
After the game Bielema explained he was upset about a South Carolina kickoff return. The player who caught the kick extended his arms, which usually means the play would be dead and a touchback.
However, Beamer said he had checked and gotten the okay that the player could extend his arms and keep the play live so long as he didn’t wave them. In this case, the Gamecock threw a lateral across the entire field to try and pull off a trick play.
“The ethic of what that is got evaporated there because our kids stopped running,” Bielema said … “He thought I did it to him. I did it [the gesture] to the whole dam sideline … I want them to understand I know what just happened.”
