Inside the South Carolina streak-breaking celebration after beating Clemson

Shane Beamer smiled as the clock drained down and South Carolina readied the celebration. 

The Gamecocks had done what some thought was impossible, toppling No. 8 Clemson 31-30 for the first win in the rivalry since 2013. 

Pandemonium ensued from the streak-breaking win, and South Carolina’s media was largely in the middle of it. Here’s a nearly minute-by-minute breakdown of the events.

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3:40 p.m.: Spencer Rattler took a knee as the clock began to roll. Clemson, helpless and out of timeouts, could only watch as the clocks ticked down to zero and South Carolina won its first game in this rivalry since 2013 and first in Clemson in a decade. 

“All these Clemson fans were talking mess behind our bench,” Rattler said. “They didn’t say anything after.”

Eric Douglas, the team’s longtime center who came back for one more year, smiled jubilantly as he danced at midfield on Clemson’s paw. Fans–both Gamecocks and Tigers–sprinted onto the field as players swarmed around him and his teammates. The Gamecocks had done it. The streak was snapped.

3:50 p.m.: The way Clemson is structured, it takes a while for media to get from the press box to the field. As they trucked downstairs and made their way onto the matted grass, still cut up from the game, a swath of Gamecocks fans was still there. Among the hysteria, a singular, garnet flag sticks out above the rest. 

Fans swarm around South Carolina players, tears building in their eyes. The band leads a “Game-Cocks!” chant. Cam Smith takes a selfie with a fan, both beaming from ear to ear. 

3:51 p.m.: Next to the Gamecocks’ locker room players begin trickling off the field, awaiting the party inside the shoebox of a dressing room opponents are gifted at Memorial Stadium. 

Jalen Brooks, jersey covered in paint and dirt, walks from one moment of mayhem to another as a voice cuts through the air.

“Thirteen! Thirteen!” 

Brooks turns and it’s receivers coach Justin Stepp, as emotional as he was the day he got hired, sprinting to his senior receiver and jumping into his arms. The two embrace, rocking back and forth in a culminating moment for both of their careers.

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Steps away, Shane Beamer stands with his family. His father–Frank Beamer, the architect of many championship-level Virginia Tech teams, stands next to him. In a moment of peace, Beamer stands and watches the jubilation around him, putting his around his dad and cracking a smile. Off to the locker room he goes after that. 

“You have the next two weeks to completely change the narrative of this program and the entire trajectory of this program,” he said. “Damn if they didn’t.” 

3:53 p.m.: A boombox bursts through the double doors of South Carolina’s locker room and a horde of players, still in full uniform take up the steps leading back to the field. With them wafts the smell of cigars and victory. 

“I’m not going to cap. I’ve been dreaming of this one,” Marcellas Dial said. “We manifested it and got it done.” 

Spencer Rattler stands there, arms crossed and a freshly-lit stogie hanging from his mouth. He dances and soaks in this moment. He’s the first South Carolina quarterback to beat Clemson since Connor Shaw.

As this is happening, players are still trickling off the field. Josh Vann, on crutches, lumbers through the crowd and towards the locker room. A fan shouts from the stands, “Thank you Josh!”

Vann, smiling, waves and continues into the party. 

While this is happening, media begin to set up for the Gamecocks’ media availabilities.

3:56 p.m.: In the midst of euphoria, South Carolina players realize they forgot something all-important: the trophy.

Byron Jerideau and Cam Smith are the first out to the top step, wanting to hold the piece of metal–topped with a Palmetto Tree–that’s eluded this program for almost a decade.

“Where that trophy at?” Cam Smith screamed, his voice hoarse from the events of the day.

Jerideau’s booming voice followed, cutting through even the loudest of noise: “Man,” he said, elongating the a for as long as he could, “where that trophy?”

4:03 p.m.: Beamer walks out of the locker room to do his postgame obligations, followed by a few players who still wanted to celebrate on the field. They asked his permission, and the message was simple: he didn’t care. They earned it and deserved the opportunity to enjoy it. 

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4:07 p.m.: Director of operations George Wynn stops Beamer’s postgame press conference, but it’s for a good reason. In his hands, a shiny trophy with a new win to put on it. 

“There’s our trophy! Thank you! Debo (Williams), take it out there if you want. Take it!”

He holds it up for the fans still there watching him speak, and those clad in garnet and black erupted in applause. He hands the trophy back to Wynn–known affectionately as Weezy–and he brings it to the awaiting players. 

“It feels great,” Rattler said, “making history here.”

4:10 p.m.: The Carolina Band trickles off of the field and towards the exit. Before they go, a chant of “Beamer Ball!” rings out during one of Beamer’s answers. He smiles, looks down to savor the moment, and extends a fist as a thank you. 

About that time, deputy athletics director Chance Miller emerges from the locker room and pauses for a minute. He takes a deep breath and soaks in this moment. 

4:22 p.m.: Juice Wells walks out of the locker room for his media availability, a lit cigar still smoldering in his left hand. Does he smoke cigars? 

“I’m smoking one now,” he quipped. 

4:40 p.m.: Media wraps up and Beamer emerges again from the locker room–still in the clothes, he wore for the game–heading to do his coaches’ show. 

Players head back to the locker room, preparing to leave. 

4:45 p.m.: Beamer and Todd Ellis stand on the South Carolina sideline with a host of creative media people handling the show. Athletics director Ray Tanner and Miller stand off to the side. Miller stands with his family as they enjoy the win. 

4:55 p.m.: The show wraps and Beamer and his family take a few pictures. For a brief, fleeting second, he got a chance to soak in the moment. He stood, lingering on the field for a moment in complete silence and looking around. The first coach to beat Clemson at Clemson since Steve Spurrier. 

5 p.m.:  After a quick conversation with someone, he looks for his son, Hunter. He finds him jogging up the hill at Death Valley and sprinting down it. 

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“Hunter! Let’s go!” He and his family walk over to the waiting arms of Jessica Jackson and some of the other recruiting staffers with hugs aplenty. 

The team begins to load buses and a few straggling support staffers take photos on the Clemson sideline, still smiling. 

It’s quiet in Death Valley for the first time since 2012. 

“Just a legendary day. That’s it,” Zacch Pickens said. “We played our best football. We still have stuff to prove and work on but this is a legendary win for us.”

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