CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On a dreary day in the Queen City, South Carolina and head coach Shane Beamer anointed themselves kings of the Carolinas with the Gamecocks' 38-21 win over North Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.
"We had a plan of how we were going to win the football game," Beamer said, "but I don't think I anticipated it going that well."
North Carolina opened as 5.5-point favorites in Thursday's mayonnaise-dressed affair. That betting line steadily climbed as the weeks wore on, settling at 12.5 points before kickoff — and with good reason.
The Tar Heels' vaunted offensive attack led by gun-slinging trigger man Sam Howell and do-it-all tailback Ty Chandler comprised one of the nation's most dynamic offensive duos. Couple that with a South Carolina defense that allowed 190 yards on the ground in four of its past five games and a blowout seemed possible.
Instead, it was the South Carolina offense sparked by the quarterback tandem of Dakereon Joyner and Zeb Noland that guided the Gamecocks to their first bowl win since 2017.
Coming to South Carolina as a prized dual-threat quarterback signee, Joyner's career has been comprised of a brief attempt at signal-caller and a marginally productive flip to receiver.
On Thursday, though, Joyner dipped and dodged UNC defenders with ease. He flicked the ball out of the pocket with precision. The dazzling prep star out of North Charleston and former S.C. Mr. Football finally looked the part of the player who tormented opposing defenses on Friday nights in the Palmetto State.
Ranging to his right on South Carolina's fourth snap of the contest, Joyner darted away from a defender, reared back and lofted a deep ball down the seam. Tight end Jaheim Bell slipped under the toss, broke off a defender and dashed into the end zone for a 69-yard score.
"I was in the huddle and I told him, 'Hey, boy, this is about to be a touchdown right here,' " Bell revealed after the game. "And that's what happened."
Joyner completed all nine of his passes for 160 yards. He added another 64 yards on the ground. It added up to Most Valuable Player honors for the game.
With tears welling in his eyes, Joyner pointed to his teammates in a nod to the group that helped hold him upright, catch his passes and clear lanes for his explosive afternoon.
"It still feels like a dream," Joyner said, the MVP trophy resting on the table in front of him.
Noland, too, added a storybook ending to a tale fit for a movie script. The former graduate assistant-turned-quarterback found Bell one possession later on a crossing pattern in the middle of the UNC defense. With Noland's strike in hand, Bell promptly deposited his second catch of the afternoon for his second touchdown of the day — this time from 66 yards out.
Beamer indicated in recent weeks he hopes to keep Noland on as a coach in some capacity next year — as was originally planned. Now he'll do so with a bowl win to his name.
That the Gamecocks found success offensively went against three months of evidence to the contrary. South Carolina had scored 25 points just twice against FBS competition in 11 tries this year. It hit that mark in the first half against UNC.
The Gamecocks' 301 rushing yards also set a season-high — surpassing the 284 they ran for in a throttling of Florida that sparked South Carolina's November and December to remember.
Running back Kevin Harris looked like the Kevin Harris of old — the one who led the Southeastern Conference in rushing a season ago, and the one who bowled through defenders like a knife through a fresh jar of mayonnaise.
Harris capped what could be his final game as a Gamecock — dependent on if he turns pro — with 181 yards on 31 touches. His 5.9 yards per carry also marked his second-best effort of the year.
Not to be outdone, lightning quick freshman Juju McDowell put the finishing touches on a dynamic inaugural campaign in the garnet and black. His 35-yard touchdown run pushed South Carolina to a 15-point first-half lead as he tip-toed the sideline to pay dirt.
"I'm going to be honest, it got emotional," super senior defensive lineman Jabari Ellis said of watching the clock tick toward zero. "It was a long road."
Thursday's win puts a condiment-infused exclamation point on a South Carolina season that most preseason prognosticators projected to end in the SEC East basement.
Beamer became just the second South Carolina head coach to win a bowl game in his first season and the first since Brad Scott went 7-5 with a win in the 1994 Carquest Bowl.
The 2021 season was always going to be a rebuilding job to some degree. Blowout losses to at Georgia, Tennessee and Texas A&M are a reminder of hills still to climb. But wins over Florida, Auburn and, now, North Carolina give a glimpse at the future.
A throne — or, in this case, a fold-up chair — and a goopy watered-down mayonnaise bath awaited Beamer in the north tunnel of Bank of America Stadium as game inched toward its end.
Sitting in the tunnel as gobs of mayonnaise dripped down onto his garnet hat and white polo, Beamer and South Carolina ascended to top of the Carolinas.
First Down
South Carolina kicker Parker White became the school's all-time leading scorer with his 30-yard first-quarter field goal.
White added two more kicks from 22 and 33 yards to push his career total to 368 points. He had previously hit 122 of 124 extra points and 56 of 82 field goal attempts entering the 2021 campaign.
Touchdown
South Carolina notched its highest rushing output of the 2021 season on Thursday. The Gamecocks combined for 301 yards on 51 carries in the win over North Carolina.
Harris led all rushers with 182 yards, while Joyner added another 64 yards on his 10 touches.
South Carolina's previous high came in the 40-17 win over Florida on Nov. 6 when the Gamecocks ran for 284 yards.
Key Numbers
2 — Beamer is just the second coach in USC history to win a bowl game in his first year
9 — Joyner completed his first nine passes on the day
2017 — South Carolina earned its first bowl win since the 2017 season, when the Gamecocks defeated Michigan in the Outback Bowl
