It’s not unusual for college football bowl games to get a bit chippy. However, it is unusual when the coaches themselves have to be separated.
During an injury timeout in Tuesday’s Citrus Bowl between South Carolina and Illinois, Illinois trainers tended to an injured Illini player near the South Carolina sideline. Illinois coach Bret Bielema walked out to check on his injured player, and just before heading back across the field to his own sideline, he turned to the South Carolina coaches and extended his arms out to his side, making a substitution signal.
The exact reason for doing this is unknown, and it can only be assumed that Bielema did this to suggest that South Carolina had made an illegal substitution earlier in the game. Regardless of his motive or intent, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer took notice and went after Beamer as multiple assistants tried to restrain him.
ESPN sideline reporter Quint Kessenich, who had a full view of the entire incident, described what he saw.
“Bret Bielema walked across the field to take care of his injured player and taunted Shane Beamer with the substitution posture the refs do, the matching signal, he did it repeatedly,” Kessenich said on the broadcast. “Beamer could hardly believe it at first. He taunted Shane Beamer, and Beamer had enough and snapped. Shane just turned to me and said, ‘You saw what he did.’ I did see it. I did see it. He taunted the opposing coach.”
Illinois defeated South Carolina 21-17, and Bielema shook Beamer’s hand without incident.