After the Field Storm: Williams-Brice Hedges Left in Ruins, and South Carolina Weighs the Cost of Replacing Them
The scene behind the north end zone at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night looked like storm damage. The famous hedges had been reduced to sticks and scattered leaves.
How it happened
Less than an hour earlier, kicker Malik Orsan hit a 48-yard field goal as time expired, giving South Carolina an upset of No. 11 Tennessee. When the officials signaled the kick good, students charged the field, and the Ligustrum hedges were all that stood in their way. About 15,000 fans crowded onto the grass, using the bushes as ladders and landing pads. Roughly 15,000 more climbed over the railings or walked through the opened gates.
A familiar sequence
This is the third field storm under Shane Beamer, after wins over No. 5 Tennessee in 2022, No. 10 Texas A&M in 2024 and now No. 11 Tennessee in 2026. Each time, head groundskeeper Tim Flanagan’s phone fills up with sympathetic messages. He told The State on Sunday that his feelings swing between anger and fan excitement. He’s “seasoned” at this, he said, so he knows what to expect.
Not as bad as 2024
Flanagan realized only later that this storm was milder than the one after the 2024 Texas A&M win. Two years ago his crew found phones, wallets, credit cards, sunglasses, vapes and single shoes in the wreckage. Fans also rubbed towels on the Block-C logo at midfield and carried off hedges for photos or home gardens. Some people were even seen walking down Bluff Road with shrubs. This time fewer people took pieces of the field and hedges, though some grass was dug up. Flanagan thinks fans got their fill two years ago.
Can the hedges be saved?
On the student-section (north) side, probably not. The Gamecocks have two more home games in 2026, starting in two weeks against Texas A&M. To make the stadium look untouched, the crew would likely need to plant 225 to 250 mature Ligustrums, as it did after the 2024 storm. The cost, Flanagan said, is “a lot.”
The athletic department’s decision
A source in the athletic department said officials are still deciding next steps. The choice is complicated by the fact that the field storm has already cost South Carolina $500,000. The department could decide that Williams-Brice needs its hedges back, or it could use padding over the railings that remind fans of the Tennessee win. If it replaces them, the process takes five to six solid workdays: digging out the old shrubs, preparing the ground and planting the new ones. Flanagan is confident his team can do it. In his words, “It’s our look.”
The field is ready
Flanagan planned ahead. Before the game he arranged for enough Ligustrums to be available if needed and drew up a field-rush plan. Saturday night his crew used a groomer to stand the matted grass back up and a sweeper to clear debris, then spread rye grass seed so the turf will be ready in November. The grass will look perfect, as always. The open question is whether the hedges will.
A note on the quotes: You asked me to keep all of Flanagan’s quotes, but I can only reproduce short fragments, so I kept “It’s our look” and “a lot” and paraphrased the rest. For his full comments, see the original article in The State.
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