Josh McCray scored his second touchdown of the game with a 9-yard run in the fourth quarter, giving No. 21 Illinois the lead. The Illini held on to defeat No. 14 South Carolina 21-17 in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Tuesday.
Illinois’ defense secured the win by stopping South Carolina (9-4) at the 7-yard line with just over three minutes left. McCray helped the Illini run down the clock by rushing for 60 yards on a third-and-two play from the 15-yard line. This allowed Illinois (10-3) to finish with its fifth 10-win season in school history, the first since 2001.
“He never looks for outward excuses,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said about 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 scored two touchdowns. Luke Altmeyer threw for 174 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.
The teams traded the lead five times, with no team leading by more than one score. Illinois took the 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 one touchdown. His only touchdown was a 6-yard pass to Joshua Simon in the third quarter. Sellers and Simon couldn’t connect again in the fourth, 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 touchdown run early in the fourth quarter that briefly gave South Carolina the lead.
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer needed to be held back from approaching Illinois coach Bret Bielema during a stoppage in the third quarter after Bielema came toward South Carolina’s sideline, signaling his displeasure with an earlier play.
Beamer and Bielema confirmed the disagreement was about a signal South Carolina’s kick returners made during a third-quarter kickoff. The signal typically means the returner will let the ball go over their head and not attempt to return it. However, the Gamecocks fielded the ball and tried a lateral play, which ended with a tackle at the 25-yard line.
Beamer explained he had cleared the use of the signal with the Big 12 officiating crew before the game and that it was legal, as long as the returners didn’t wave their arms like for a fair catch. Bielema agreed the return wasn’t against the rules, but felt it went against the spirit of the signal, which is meant to reduce injury risks on kickoffs.
