National reactions to South Carolina's loss to Illinois in the Citrus Bowl
South Carolina fell on Tuesday to Illinois in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl by a final score of 21-17. The Gamecocks’ pursuit of a fifth 10-win season failed, and a lot of events somewhat separate from the action on the field stole headlines.
Things got heated between South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and Illinois headman Bret Bielema as the two had some…disagreements…about coaching ethics and football gamesmanship.
Gamecock junior defensive back Nick Emmanwori also generated headlines by electing to play just one half of the Citrus Bowl.
There were plenty of national reactions to everything that transpired in Orlando.
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Despite all of the back-and-forth with Bielema (and there was even more of it today), Shane Beamer made it clear that he felt as if his team and coaches didn’t do enough to beat an Illinois team that played a good game. Following the contest, Beamer had a lot to say; you can see it all in GamecockCentral’s Jack Veltri’s article below.
The Athletic reporter Chris Vannini had a strong anti-SEC overreaction to the last week of college football. He wrote that he believes the SEC and those who argue for SEC superiority should—for some reason—apologize to Indiana and SMU.
Mike Bratton of That SEC Podcast argued that overreactions aren’t warranted because the Gamecocks weren’t at full strength. All-American EDGE Kyle Kennard and All-SEC running back Rocket Sanders announced before the game that they wouldn’t play. All-American safety Nick Emmanwori also played just the first 30 minutes.
Georgia writer Brandon Adams criticized Illinois and Bielema for their substitution ploys. The Illini appeared to fake injuries on several occasions to slow the Gamecocks. They intentionally left the field slowly during guaranteed substitution moments, as well.
James Kilgore, father of Gamecock defensive backs Jalon and Gerald, also expressed his displeasure with Illinois’ tactics. He did, though, acknowledge that USC didn’t do its part to earn a victory.
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Mr. Kilgore’s younger son spoke with the media after the game. He argued that the loss “added fuel” to the team’s fire moving forward.
Starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers echoed Kilgore’s thoughts. He said that the Gamecocks “just gotta put it all together” to take the next step in 2025.
Former All-American and college football personality David Pollock called Bielema “petty.” However, as someone unaffiliated with South Carolina or Illinois, he loved the entertainment value of what happened between the two head coaches.
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Tuesday afternoon was a wild one in Orlando, but in the end, the Gamecocks will enter the offseason after suffering their first loss since mid-October.
South Carolina finished the 2024 season 9-4 and showed vast improvement late in the year. The highly anticipated 2025 edition of the Gamecocks will open their season against Virginia Tech on August 31st in Atlanta.
