ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — 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 prevailed over No. 14 South Carolina 21-17 at the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Tuesday.

Illinois’ defense contributed to the win by stopping South Carolina with just over three minutes left. Gamecocks freshman quarterback JaNorris Sellers threw behind receiver Joshua Simon in the end zone on a four-and-four play at the Illinois 7-yard line, giving the ball back to the Illini as time expired.

McCray sealed the victory with a 60-yard run on a third-and-2 play from the 15-yard line as Illinois (10-3) completed its fifth 10-win season in program history and its first since 2001.

McCray rushed for 114 yards on 13 carries, including a 3-yard TD run in the third quarter. Luke Altmeyer threw for 174 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Hank Beatty caught four passes for 90 yards and running back Aidan Laughery rushed for 67 yards on 16 carries.

The teams changed leads five times in the game, and neither team led by more than one point. Illinois took the lead for good with McCray’s touchdown run with 7:29 left.

Sellers completed 24 of 34 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown for the Gamecocks (9-4), who fell short of the fifth 10-win season in program history. He threw a 6-yard TD pass to Simon in the third quarter for his only score.

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 brief lead. Adaway made seven catches for an additional 37 yards.

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 won the win. South Carolina’s Sellers put in an impressive performance 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 on August 31 to face Virginia Tech in their home opener.

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