Shane Beamer and Bret Bielema face off in a suddenly heated Cheez-It Citrus Bowl between South Carolina and Illinois. The two teams fight heart and soul for every moment, and the head coaches had to be kept apart at one point in the game.

Late in the 3rd quarter, an Illini player was injured and lay on the turf near the South Carolina sideline. Bielema made the long trek across the pitch to check on his player, but it was what happened next that rattled Beamer.

The Illinois head coach trolled Beamer by giving the Gamecocks the substitution signal. While this may seem innocuous, the deeper context of the game is clear.

During the first half, Beamer was frustrated several times as Illinois took full advantage of substitution rules on defense to divert playing time away from South Carolina’s offense. Beamer was visibly bothered by the tactic, and that led to Bielema’s gesture.

Beamer was so upset by Bielema’s troll job that the South Carolina head coach had to be stopped by officials and his coaching staff from attacking Bielema. This is how it all went down:

By the way, neither Shane Beamer nor Bret Bielema received a flag in the incident. With the fourth quarter just beginning, you can bet that the post-game handshake is going to be special right around the corner.

Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.