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.

No. 15 South Carolina faces No. 20 Illinois in the Citrus Bowl in the first all-time meeting between the programs. Illinois is looking for its first bowl win since the 2011 season, while South Carolina seeks its second bowl game win in four seasons under coach Shane Beamer.

All hell broke loose in the third quarter of the Cheez-It Bowl on Tuesday. It wasn't the players. It was South Carolina coach Shane Beamer going after Illinois' Bret Bielema. An Illinois DB was injured on a long pass play by South Carolina.

The Illini rallied three times before overcoming the Gamecocks in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl thanks to two touchdowns by Josh McCray.

The Gamecocks lost a tough battle, falling 21-17 to Illinois in the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. South Carolina finishes the season with a 9-4 record, leaving ple

Emotions ran high in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl between South Carolina and Illinois on Tuesday. Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer was livid after Fighting

That was it — Illinois had a 10-win football team for the first time since 2001, a bowl win for the first time since 2011 and arguably its biggest win in any game since the 2007 upset at No. 1 Ohio State.

Citrus Bowl features South Carolina football and Illinois. Both went 5-7 in 2023 and are playing for win No. 10 in 2024 on Tuesday.