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 helped seal the win by stopping South Carolina with a little more than three minutes remaining. Gamecocks freshman quarterback JaNorris Sellers threw behind receiver Joshua Simon in the end zone on a fourth-and-four play at the Illinois 7 yard line, giving the ball back to the Illini, who ran out the clock.
McCray sealed the victory 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.
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 a touchdown and an interception. Hank Beatty caught four passes for 90 yards, and running back Aidan Laughery rushed for 67 yards on 16 carries.
The teams exchanged the lead five times in the game, and neither team led by more than one score. Illinois took its final lead on McCray’s touchdown run with 7:29 remaining.