"Salty" may be the new Cheez-It flavor as the Beamer-Bielema feud continues on social media

The tension began in the third quarter when Beamer reacted angrily to Bielema making a “T-bar” signal toward the South Carolina sideline after checking on an injured Illinois player. Beamer angrily rushed the field, yelling at Bielema before being restrained by staff members.

Bielema later explained that the gesture is part of an “unwritten coaching philosophy,” used to signal a fair catch or touchback on a kickoff to avoid unnecessary risks. “There’s nothing illegal about it, but it compromised the ethics of that situation,” Bielema said. “Our guys stopped running because they thought it was a touchback. I’ve never seen that before at any level of college football.”

Earlier in the game, South Carolina had used the T-bar signal but executed a lateral, leading to a 25-yard return by Nyck Harbor. Bielema noted that the move was legal but went against the spirit of the signal, which is typically respected by coaches and players alike.

While Bielema insisted the signal wasn’t directed specifically at Beamer but rather the South Carolina sideline, Beamer disagreed, criticizing the Illinois coach’s actions.

“You’d have to ask him why he didn’t take it up with the officials instead of coming over while his player was on the ground, making that gesture at me,” Beamer said. “I’m a competitive guy, but that kind of behavior felt bush league, to be honest.”

Beamer also defended South Carolina’s play, saying the officiating crew was informed in advance about the lateral following the T-bar signal. Still, he acknowledged the signal is more commonly understood as a touchback.

On Wednesday, Bielema also posted on X, clarifying that his issue stemmed from concerns over player safety, not substitution strategy. After the T-bar incident, South Carolina had to call a timeout near the Illinois goal line to avoid a delay of game penalty, which cameras showed left Beamer visibly frustrated as Bielema smiled from across the field.

Bielema later reposted Beamer's post and added a "Happy New Year and congrats on a great season" before posting an additional video of his own press conference with the caption "More information for the misinformation..."