ORLANDO, Fla. – 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 win by stopping South Carolina (9-4) at the 7-yard line with a little more than three minutes remaining. McCray sealed the victory and helped the Illini run out the clock with a 60-yard run on a third-and-two play from the 15-yard line as Illinois (10-3) closed out the fifth 10-win season in program history and its first since 2001.

“He never looks for outward 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, 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 the fifth 10-win season in program history. He threw a 6-yard TD pass to Joshua Simon in the third quarter for his only score. They could not connect again in the fourth quarter, leading to the 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 shortlived lead.

Mixed Signals

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer needed to be restrained from pursuing Illinois coach Bret Bielema during a stoppage in the third quarter after Bielema came toward South Carolina’s sideline with his arms extended, a signal to them that he was not happy with a signal given earlier in the game.

Beamer and Beielema confirmed the dispute was over a signal South Carolina’s kick returners gave on a third-quarter kickoff when a player gave the typical signal they would let the ball go over their head and not return the ball. But the Gamecocks not only fielded the kick, but tried a lateral play that ended with a tackle at the 25.

Beamer said he cleared 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 arms like a fair catch. Bielema agreed that returning the kick was not against the rules, but went against the spirit of using that signal to limit injuries on kickoff returns.

Missed Chances

South Carolina had several missed chances that cost the team opportunities to take the lead.

In addition to the failed fourth down conversion late in the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks did not convert on a fourth down play from the 11 yard line in the second quarter when holder Kai Kroeger’s pass to Alex Huntley in the endzone fell incomplete. Kicker Alex Herrera also missed a field goal off the right upright at the end of the second quarter.

The Gamecocks went 2 for 4 in the red zone overall.

“The whole key to this game was finishing,” Beamer said. “We didn’t finish.”

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 the junior Altmeyer under center won the day to hit that mark. But Illinois has one of the youngest roster in the power conferences. So does South Carolina. Sellers put on an impressive display, and the future looks bright for both teams in 2025.

Up next

South Carolina looks to build on its strong finish and six-game winning streak to close the regular season. The Gamecocks will be in Atlanta to face Virginia Tech on Aug. 31 in its opener.

Illinois will look to build on a strong showing this season and open its 2025 season on Aug. 30 against Western Illinois.

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