The South Carolina Gamecocks got their second upset victory of the season, with a monster 27-24 win over the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers at home on Saturday. With the victory, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer has notched back-to-back wins over ranked opponents for the third time of his career.
After the victory, Coach Beamer was understandably fired up at his postgame press conference. While speaking with reporters, Beamer blasted the "conspiracy theories" about South Carolina's 2022 victory over Tennessee. That year, the Gamecocks upset then-No. 5 Tennessee 63-38. Beamer called the theories "disrespectful" to both the Gamecock fans and coaches that were in Williams-Brice during the victory:
Shane Beamer went off on 2022 Tennessee conspiracy theories after beating the Vols:
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) October 25, 2026
"It's disrespectful to our players & coaches that scored 63 points against them that night.
"I don't know what conspiracy theories they will come up with this year.
"Maybe light from the State… pic.twitter.com/C85RWehamK
As for the actual conspiracy theories, Beamer is likely referring to the Internet rumors regarding former Michigan analyst Connor Stalions. Although there is no concrete proof of the allegations, some Tennessee fans allege Stalions helped share signals with South Carolina to help gain an advantage over Tennessee.
Stalions, a former Michigan staffer who was deemed to have stolen opposing teams times in an elaborate sign-stealing scheme, did scout the Vols in 2022. But there is no evidence that Stalions shared any intel with the Gamecocks' coaching staff. The former UM staffer even denied the allegations himself while speaking on a podcast last fall.
"Oh my gosh. (That is) one of the dozens of conspiracies that are out there," Stalions said on the podcast "Bunch Formation" in 2025 via The Tennessean. "I've never met anyone at South Carolina. … There was no trying to screw over Tennessee."
Stalions added that he never watched any film on the Vols, and even if he did wouldn't have shared the intel with another team. That season, Michigan ended up going to the College Football Playoff instead of Tennessee. The loss to the Gamecocks for the Vols effectively ended Tennessee's hopes at making the CFP that season.
"If I had everything on Tennessee … In theory, it could be Tennessee or anyone," Stalions said via the newspaper. "If I had the team's signals and felt confident that it's this competitive advantage that's going to cause an advantage like in that South Carolina game, why would I want another team to do it rather than us?"
The Gamecocks didn't need any elaborate schemes to defeat the Vols four years ago or on Saturday night. South Carolina had a thrilling victory, helped by an incredible touchdown run by LaNorris Sellers. On Tennessee's ensuing possession, a strip-sack fumble by Dylan Stewart to give the Gamecocks the ball back to set up the game-winning field goal.
Next up, South Carolina travels to Oklahoma to take on the 4-3 Sooners in Norman on Saturday afternoon. But I wouldn't blame Coach Beamer if he wanted to enjoy this huge win over Tennessee on Sunday.
The victory puts the Gamecocks at 4-3 on the season, and just two wins away from securing bowl eligiblity for the first time since 2024.
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