Four years ago, South Carolina football delivered one of the most unforgettable performances in program history, dismantling Tennessee 63-38 at Williams-Brice Stadium and sending the fifth-ranked Volunteers home with a loss that would haunt their fan base for years. And apparently, four years wasn't enough time to get over it.
On Saturday, October 24, South Carolina beat No. 11 Tennessee again, this time in a heart-stopping 27-24 roller coaster of a finish sealed by Malik Orsan's 48-yard field goal as time expired. After another blown lead, faith in the Gamecocks' ability to finish began to fade and feel all too familiar. However, this time they rallied from a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit, with LaNorris Sellers scoring the tying touchdown
before Dylan Stewart forced a fumble, giving South Carolina one last chance.
Orsan did the rest.
And as Gamecock fans celebrated another memorable victory, rushing the field until it was nothing but a sea of fans, the familiar noise surrounding the 2022 game returned. So did the jokes, the absurd accusations of cheating, and the increasingly entertaining social media battle between the two fan bases. For South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, however, the victory offered an opportunity to address a controversy he believes should have been put to rest long ago.
Four years later, Tennessee still has questions about 2022
The 2022 game was supposed to be a Tennessee victory. The No. 5 Volunteers entered Columbia with playoff aspirations and one of the nation's most explosive offenses. But instead, Spencer Rattler threw six touchdown passes, the Gamecocks hung 63 points on the Vols, and South Carolina delivered a performance that remains one of the defining moments of Beamer's tenure.
But the aftermath brought about absurd conspiracy theories that refused to go away. Some Tennessee fans questioned South Carolina's use of defensive wristbands during the game, suggesting that former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions may have helped the Gamecocks obtain Tennessee's signals. Those allegations were never substantiated, and Stalions subsequently denied having connections to South Carolina. The wristband conspiracy theory is one of the funniest stories in college football, and naturally, the Gamecocks went out and defeated Tennessee once again.
What Wristbands!!!!!!
— Clayton White (@CoachClaytonW) October 24, 2026
Go Gamecocks!!!!!!!#gamecocks
Shane Beamer has heard enough
Following Saturday's victory, Beamer made it clear that the lingering accusations had worn out their welcome. He wasn't interested in entertaining another round of speculation about the 2022 result. "I'm sorry for saying this," Beamer said in a postgame conference. "But all the bull crap conspiracy theories from the last four years, hopefully, we can put that crap to bed now because I don't even want to give credence to it and give oxygen to it because it's so ridiculous. But it's disrespectful."
WATCH: South Carolina’s Shane Beamer goes off on “conspiracy theories” around the 2022 Tennessee game:
— On3 (@On3) October 25, 2026
“It’s disrespectful to our fans who were in the stadium that night, it’s disrespectful to our players and coaches that scored 63 points that night against them that night and… https://t.co/r8LBiMHgZQ pic.twitter.com/27vOb4k2gT
Beamer argued that the accusations were disrespectful to the players, coaches, and fans who were part of the 2022 victory. His point was straightforward and spot on: South Carolina won simply because it played better football. And after Saturday's 27-24 victory, Beamer had another result to support his argument. On Saturday afternoon, four years after the initial accusations, the Gamecocks beat Tennessee again. This time, in a completely different game, with a different group of players, and in a dramatic finish of their own.
There was no need to rewrite history or manufacture an explanation for the scoreboard, because South Carolina earned both victories. Beamer also joked about the possibility of new conspiracy theories emerging from Saturday's game, mentioning the lights from the State Fair.
It was a pointed response to a controversy that has followed the program for four years.
And Beamer wasn't the only Gamecock ready to have some fun.
The Gamecocks Took the Fight to Social Media
South Carolina's victory was barely official before the trolling began.
South Carolina is not a good football team with all due respect. However, Shane Beamer is extremely good at cheating so there’s that
— BigBlackVols (@BigBlackVols) October 25, 2026
A former Alabama QB is the referee for a Tennessee game on the road the week after the Vols beat his alma mater? A little bias on the whistle today? https://t.co/6wPgQpYOFs
— THE VOLUNTEER (@ALLVOLNEWS) October 24, 2026
The Gamecocks' social media team leaned directly into the wristband controversy, posting a graphic featuring a South Carolina player wearing a wristband that read "Cocks win." The message was simple, and the timing was excellent.
— South Carolina Football (@GamecockFB) October 24, 2026
After years of hearing questions about whether South Carolina needed an unfair advantage to beat Tennessee in 2022, the Gamecocks had yet another victory to celebrate. The official account also mocked Tennessee coach Josh Heupel's decision to show his team footage of the 2022 game before Saturday's matchup.
Déjà vu? pic.twitter.com/4zfF7CabZ6
— South Carolina Football (@GamecockFB) October 24, 2026
And the wristbands weren't the only conspiracy theory getting attention. The Gamecock social media team also took aim at the old suggestion that sand had been deliberately added to Williams-Brice Stadium's field to disrupt Tennessee.
Ain't that a beach pic.twitter.com/gu5d8SF55R
— South Carolina Football (@GamecockFB) October 25, 2026
The message from Columbia was loud and clear: South Carolina Football is done with the same old excuses and talk about past games, and Saturday was the perfect chance to remind Tennessee of what happens when you get a little cocky.
Three touchdowns called back and plenty to debate
Of course, Tennessee's frustration on Saturday wasn't limited to the fond memories of 2022. The Volunteers had three potential touchdowns wiped out by penalties, creating one of the game's most contentious storylines. Quarterback George MacIntyre was visibly frustrated. ESPN cameras captured him saying, "They throw a flag on every touchdown," during the fourth quarter.
George MacIntyre is EVERY Tennessee fan right now
— Sport & State (@SportNState) October 24, 2026
"They throw a flag every touchdown" pic.twitter.com/wj19g716qy
Hate to break it to you, George, but penalties mattered. In a game ultimately decided by only three points, Tennessee's inability to capitalize on several scoring opportunities gave South Carolina an easy opening to mount its late comeback. The Volunteers finished with 12 penalties for 90 yards, and those numbers deserve the scrutiny, particularly when multiple flags erase potential touchdowns.
Fans are entitled to question officiating decisions. Individual calls can be debated, and officials should be held accountable when they make mistakes. But there is an important distinction between criticizing a penalty and claiming a game was flat-out rigged. Tennessee had plenty of opportunities to win Saturday's game. The Volunteers made mistakes, surrendered a late tying touchdown, and lost a fumble that helped set up a winning kick.
And South Carolina capitalized.
The scoreboard doesn't come with an asterisk
South Carolina and Tennessee have now produced not one, but two memorable Gamecock victories at Williams-Brice Stadium in four years. The first was a 63-38 demolition that shocked the college football world. And the second was a 27-24 thriller that required a fourth-quarter comeback, a critical defensive play, and a field goal literally as time expired.
Tennessee did win the teams' 2023 meeting in Knoxville, 41-20, so this isn't some claim that South Carolina has dominated every encounter between the programs. That being said, the two victories in Columbia have given Gamecock fans plenty to celebrate, and given Tennessee fans two painful reminders of what can happen when they visit Williams-Brice Stadium.
Saturday's result also matters beyond the scoreboard on Saturday. The Gamecocks have now won consecutive games against ranked SEC opponents after opening conference play with three straight losses. No, it does not erase the team's earlier struggles or guarantee that the program has turned a corner. However, it gives Shane Beamer and his team even more to build on, especially after beating Florida on the road. And it gives the faithful South Carolina fan base another night to remember.
For Tennessee, the immediate questions they should be asking concern execution, penalties, and the inability to close out a game it led by seven points in the fourth quarter. For South Carolina, the focus should be on sustaining the level of play that produced consecutive victories against ranked opponents.
The rest is just noise.
College football rivalries are supposed to be emotional. Fans are supposed to argue, coaches are supposed to defend their teams, and social media is supposed to become a little ridiculous after a dramatic finish. South Carolina and Tennessee delivered all of that on Saturday. The Gamecocks overcame a fourth-quarter deficit, their defense made the decisive play, and Orsan delivered an incredible game-winning kick. Williams-Brice Stadium erupted, and South Carolina fans had every reason to celebrate.
Tennessee fans can debate the officiating all day long. They can be frustrated by the penalties, and they can question their team's execution and wonder what might have happened if a few plays had gone differently. What they cannot reasonably do is treat the existence of a close game, controversial calls, or an opponent's victory as proof of some kind of conspiracy. At the end of the day, the 2022 game happened. And the 2026 game happened. South Carolina won both of those games in Columbia. And if the wristbands, the sand, and any of the other ridiculous conspiracy theories are still going to be part of this matchup, Gamecock fans will apparently have plenty of material to work with.
Rocky Top has four years of frustration and another loss to process. South Carolina has another ranked win to celebrate. Tennessee fans can keep making jokes about the field storming. South Carolina will keep putting their team on the losing end of the scoreboard. The rest is just noise.
This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Rocky Top has a South Carolina problem - again
