Fake gun celebration from USC’s Dylan Stewart in Ole Miss game draws criticism

Dylan Stewart showcased a new celebration on Saturday ... and it cost his team.

Late in the third quarter, with South Carolina trailing in what would become an eventual 27-3 loss to No. 12 Ole Miss, Stewart sacked Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart on third-and-6. It did not change the game an iota, yet the true freshman Stewart reacted in jubilation, a moment that drew a taunting penalty and 15 yards against the Gamecocks..

He stood over the Ole Miss quarterback and pretended to shoot Dart over and over with an imaginary shotgun.

The flag that flew soon after was very real. Stewart was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and Ole Miss gained an automatic first down. The moment drew criticism from the on-air TV broadcast crew and on social media.

“A clearly unintelligent play by Stewart,” ESPN play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch said on the broadcast.

“That’s a true freshman making a freshman mistake,” color commentator Dusty Dvoracek chimed in. “You can’t get over the quarterback and taunt him.”

“He did more than taunt,” Pasch added.

The flag and the punishment weren’t enough to deter Stewart because he did it again.

Just minutes later, he tackled Ole Miss running back Matt Jones for a loss of four yards then shot his fake shotgun again more (but not at an Ole Miss player). This was subdued, but he still fired off three of shots from his fake gun.

On X (formerly Twitter), former South Carolina running back Mike Davis chimed in with his displeasure.

“6,” Davis wrote, referring to Stewart’s number. “Please bro stop with the gun celebrations. Do something else please . Not hating on you but that’s a penalty every time.”

Shane Beamer was asked after the game if he spoke to Stewart about the celebration that drew the penalty.

“Yes,” Beamer said succinctly, looking frustrated.

USC defender Jalon Kilgore said the message to Stewart from his teammates was pretty simple: Just be smart.

“We got the stop. No need to do anything extra,” Kilgore said. “We’ve got to be smart on that.”