The 2024 Citrus Bowl was one of college football bowl season’s best non-playoff games. South Carolina fell to Illinois, a heavy underdog against Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks, 21-17. Most will remember that game for Bret Bielema’s infamous substitution taunt.
Beamer became a folk hero for barking back at Bielema, looking like the coach who woke up feeling the cheesiest at the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Certain SEC fanbases contacted Beamer to let him know they had new fans in them after he stood up to the Illinois head coach.
Beamer named Tennessee and Florida’s faithful while discussing who contacted him in the aftermath.
“I do appreciate the number of people that have either come up to me in public or texted me after the game,” Beamer said on Inside the Gamecocks: The Morning Show. “Or called me after the game, saying, ‘What you did was right, man, I wasn’t a Gamecock before, but I am now.’ Whether it be athletic directors across college athletics, or former coaches that are in the College Football Hall of Fame, or current coaches that were in the College Football Playoff this year. Or Florida Gators fans or Tennessee Vols fans, or whatever. I appreciate that. I wish it hadn’t happened, but it is what it is. And I’m always gonna have the backs of our players and our sideline. And I just thought that was, you know, bush league, what he did to our sideline…..I told him the same thing after the game as well.”
As A to Z Sports’ Zach Ragan notes, circumstances like the Citrus Bowl incident happen all the time in other sports. In 2024, with players getting paid, it even happens in non-playoff bowl games.
Including the ones featuring mascots made with bioengineered food ingredients.
Luke Altmyer announced his return to the 2025 season with the South Carolina game as his Jordan Belfort “I’m not leaving” moment. There was tangible hype to the matchup on both sides, but particularly the Fighting Illini’s.
Illinois met the moment. Bielema made his own at Beamer’s expense.
It sounds like Beamer had several moments with different SEC fanbases, though, making him a winner in the Citrus Bowl’s aftermath, despite the bowl game result.
