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Josh McCray scored his second touchdown of the game on a 9-yard run midway through the fourth quarter to give No. 21 Illinois the lead, and the Illini held on to beat No. 14 South Carolina 21-17 in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Tuesday.
Illinois’ defense sealed the victory by stopping South Carolina (9-4) at the 7-yard line with just over three minutes left. McCray sealed the victory and helped the Illini run out the clock with a 60-yard run on third-and-two from the 15-yard line as Illinois (10-3) closed out its fifth 10-win season in program history and first since 2001.
“He never makes excuses,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said of McCray. “He just works hard and does a lot of really good things to make these days happen.”
McCray, who was named the game’s MVP, rushed for 114 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns. Luke Altmeyer threw for 174 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The teams exchanged the lead five times, and neither led by more than one score. Illinois took its final lead on McCray’s touchdown run with 7:29 remaining.
South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers completed 24 of 34 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown for the Gamecocks, who fell short of their fifth 10-win season in program history. He threw a 6-yard TD pass to Joshua Simon for his only score in the third quarter. They couldn’t connect again in the fourth quarter, leading to a critical turnover on downs.
“Obviously, we want to win,” Sellers said. “Some things didn’t go our way tonight. We have to get back to work and focus on next season.”
Oscar Adaway III rushed for 69 yards on 14 carries, including a 36-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter that gave South Carolina a short-lived lead.
Mixed Signals
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer had to be restrained from hounding Illinois coach Bret Bielema during a third-quarter timeout after Bielema came toward the South Carolina sideline with his arms outstretched, a sign he wasn’t happy with a signal given earlier in the game. the game.
Beamer and Beielema confirmed the dispute was over a signal South Carolina’s running backs gave on a third-quarter punt when a player made the typical sign that he was going to release the ball over his head and not return it. But the Gamecocks not only took the shot, they attempted an onside play that ended in a turnover in the 25th minute.
Beamer said he approved the use of that signal with the Big 12 officiating crew before the game and that it was legal, as long as the returners did not wave their hands as a fair catch. Bielema agreed that the punt return was not against the rules, but it was against the spirit of using that signal to limit kick return injuries.
Missed opportunities
South Carolina had several missed chances that cost the team the opportunity to take the lead.
In addition to a failed fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks didn’t convert on a fourth-down play from the 11-yard line in the second quarter when owner Kai Kroeger’s pass to Alex Huntley fell incomplete in the endzone. Kicker Alex Herrera also missed a field goal to the right late in the second quarter.
The Gamecocks were 2 for 4 in the red zone overall.
“The whole key to this game was the finish,” Beamer said. “We’re not done.”
Takeaways
Illinois and South Carolina looked to make program history by winning the 10th game of the season in the Citrus Bowl. Illinois’ experience with junior Altmeyer under center carried the day to accomplish that goal. But Illinois has one of the youngest rosters in power conferences. So is South Carolina. Sellers put on an impressive display and the future looks bright for both teams in 2025.
Next
South Carolina looks to build on its strong finish and six-game winning streak to close out the regular season. The Gamecocks will be in Atlanta to face Virginia Tech on August 31st in the opener.
Illinois will look to build off of this season’s strong showing and open the 2025 season on August 30 against Western Illinois.
