Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Champions: #20 Illinois Defeats #15 South Carolina

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Fighting Illini are Cheez-It Citrus Bowl champions.

For the first time since 2011, the Orange and Blue have secured a bowl victory, with No. 20 Illinois taking down No. 15 South Carolina, 21-17, at Camping World Stadium on Tuesday evening.

With the win, the Orange and Blue picked up their 10th triumph of the 2024 campaign, equaling the program single-season record and securing 10 victories for the first time since 2001.

Mounting their FBS-leading fifth fourth-quarter comeback of the year, the Illini took the lead with 7:29 remaining, forced a turnover on downs with just over three minutes to go, and then ran out the clock on their ensuing possession.

Named the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl MVP, Josh McCray recorded his third multi-touchdown game of the season, finishing with two rushing scores while posting 13 carries for 114 yards. His two touchdowns marked his ninth and 10th such scores during the 2024 campaign, which rank eighth-most in a single season in program history.

Hank Beatty hauled in four catches for 90 yards, both of which were career-best marks. His 59-yard reception in the first quarter was the longest play of his collegiate career.

Luke Altmyer went 13-for-22 for 174 yards and one touchdown, with the lone passing score going to Zakhari Franklin in the first quarter. Franklin finished with four catches for 39 yards.

The Illini defense made one takeaway – a fumble recovery in the third quarter – and forced two turnovers on downs, while Matthew Bailey made a team-most 13 tackles in the win.

The Gamecocks opened the scoring with a field goal on their first possession of the afternoon, but the Illini took their first lead of the game on the final play of the first quarter. Getting the ball back on their own 24-yard line with 5:13 remaining, the Orange and Blue moved past midfield on the second play of the drive.

After converting a third down in the red zone, Illinois found the end zone for the first time via a 15-yard completion from Altmyer to Franklin, giving the Illini a 7-3 advantage after one period of play.

South Carolina found its way into the red zone on its ensuing possession, but a pass breakup from Ryan Meed thwarted a Gamecock trick play on fourth-and-7 to force a turnover on downs. 

After Illinois was forced to punt, a missed South Carolina field goal as time expired marked the end of the first half and sent the Orange and Blue into the break with a 7-3 edge. Hank Beatty's 59-yard catch-and-run was the longest play for either team through the opening two quarters, while Altmyer completed 75% of his passes for 101 yards in the first half.

The Gamecocks went back in front just over four minutes into the third quarter. After the Illini offense turned the ball over on their next possession, the Orange and Blue defense answered by registering their first takeaway of the contest. Ezekiel Holmes punched the ball loose, the first forced fumble of his career, before Jaheim Clarke got the recovery to set up Illinois' offense near midfield.

The Illini offense capitalized, driving 63 yards on nine plays to retake the lead. A 27-yard completion to Collin Dixon moved the Orange and Blue inside the red zone, and Illinois scored on the next play on a 3-yard touchdown run from McCray, his ninth rushing score of the season, to give the Illini a 14-10 lead with 2:23 remaining in the third quarter.

South Carolina jumped back ahead on the first play of the final frame, but yet again, the Illinois offense found an answer. Converting on two third downs, the Illini faced a third-and-3 at the Gamecock 9-yard line. McCray found the end zone for the second time, though, giving the Orange and Blue a 21-17 advantage halfway through the fourth quarter.

The Gamecocks moved into the red zone on their next offensive possession, but with a fourth-and-4 at the Illini 7-yard line, the Illinois defense forced an incompletion to thwart the drive and bring the Orange and Blue offense back onto the field with just over three minutes left.

Looking to seal the game on their ensuing drive, the Illini had a third-and-2 at their own 15-yard line. McCray picked up the first down on a 60-yard gain on the next play from scrimmage to essentially clinch the victory.

The 2024 Illinois squad finish with a 10-3 record and are now the fifth team in program history to earn 10 wins in a season, joining the 1902, 1983, 1989, 2001 teams. The Orange and Blue posted their first-ever victory over an SEC opponent en route to their fourth ranked triumph of the year, tying the record for the most in a single campaign in program history.

HIGHLIGHTS

PRESS CONFERENCE

POSTGAME NOTES

Team Notes

• Bielema won 10 games for the first time in his Illinois career and led the Illini to their first 10-win season since 2001.
• Illinois tied the program record for wins in a season with 10, set four times previously in 1902, 1983, 1989, and 2001.
• Illinois tied the program record with its fifth one-score victory of the season, the Illini's second straight season with five one-score wins. Illinois also had five one-score wins in 1934.
• Illinois won 23 games over the last three seasons (2022-24), tied for the program's most wins in a three-year span since winning 24 games from 1988-90. Illinois also won 23 games from 1999-2001.
• Illinois improved to 14-5 in games with more than six days rest since Bielema's arrival in 2021, including 12-3 over the last three seasons and a 4-1 record this season.
• Illinois won its first-ever meeting against South Carolina and defeated an SEC team for the first time in program history (previously 0-6).
• Illinois improved to 9-12 in bowl games, winning its first bowl game since 2011. The Illini are now 2-0 at the Citrus Bowl.
• Illinois tied the program record with four ranked wins in 2024, joining the 1946 and 1983 teams as the only squads in Illini history to defeat four AP Top 25 ranked teams. 
• Illinois had six wins when ranked in the AP Top 25 this season, the Illini's most wins while ranked since eight during the 1990 season.
• Bret Bielema improved to 28-22 during his Illinois career. Since Robert Zuppke went undefeated in two of his first three seasons at Illinois from 1913-15, Bielema's 28-22 start is the second-best through 50 games by an Illini head coach, behind only Mike White (30-19-1, 1980-84).
• Bielema's four road/neutral ranked wins (AP/Coaches/CFP) are the most of any coach in Illini history during his first four seasons in Champaign.
• With South Carolina ranked #14 in the AP Top 25, the win marked Illinois' highest ranked win over a nonconference opponent since defeating #9 Colorado, 23-22, Sept. 15, 1990.

Player Notes

• Cheez-It Citrus Bowl MVP Josh McCray rushed 13 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
  • First 100-yard game of the season and his first such game since rushing for 142 yards on Oct. 23, 2021, at Penn State.
  • His 60-yard rush in the fourth quarter was a career long.
  • Third game this season with multiple rushing touchdowns.
    • His 10 rushing touchdowns are tied for eighth most in a single season in program history.
    • First Illinois running back with 10 rushing touchdowns in a single season since Chase Brown in 2022.
• QB Luke Altmyer completed 13 of his 22 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown.
  • Finished 2024 with 22 touchdown passes, matching Juice Williams (2008) and Jeff George (1989) for third-most in a single season in program history.
  • Now has 35 passing touchdowns in his Illini career, matching Johnny Johnson (1992-95) for ninth.
  • Finished the season with a passing efficiency rating of 144.04, the second-best mark in a single season in program history.
• WR Hank Beatty caught four passes for a career-high 90 yards.
  • His 59-yard reception in the first quarter was a career long.
• WR Zakhari Franklin caught four passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.
  • With his first catch of the game, he surpassed the 4,000-yard mark in his career, becoming the 22nd player in FBS history to reach that mark.
  • Finishes his career with 321 receptions, eighth-most all-time in FBS history.
  • Ends his career with 42 touchdown catches, matching Wyoming's Ryan Yarborough (1990-93) and Oklahoma State's Rashaun Woods (2000-03) for eighth-most all-time in FBS history.
• DB Matthew Bailey recorded a game-high 13 tackles, with five solo efforts. 
  • Tied the Illinois bowl record for tackles.
  • His 13 tackles also set a career-high mark and his third double-digit tackle effort of the season. 
• OLB Gabe Jacas posted eight tackles, four solo, including a game-high 3.0 tackles for a loss.
  • Third game this season with at least 2.0 TFLs.
• DL Ezekiel Holmes recorded the first forced fumble of his career in the third quarter.
• DB Mac Resetich and DL Dennis Briggs Jr. each recorded 1.0 sacks in the contest.