South Carolina comes up short of 10-win season against Illinois in Citrus Bowl

All month long, South Carolina players and coaches talked about how much it would mean to get a 10th win. It had only happened four times before in program history. Why not go for it?

In an era where bowl games are deemed as meaningless and players choose to opt out, the Gamecocks only had two opt-outs. They were dead set on getting this final win to cap off an incredible season and nothing would stop them from getting there.

But on the opposite sideline stood another team who had a chance to make some history with a 10th win as well. In a battle of 9-3 teams, No. 20 Illinois came out on top with a 21-17 win over No. 15 South Carolina in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Tuesday.

The Fighting Illini have now won 10 games in a season for the first time since 2001. On the flip side, the Gamecocks will finish the year with a 9-4 record.

The first half couldn’t have gone much worse for South Carolina. Then again, it could’ve actually been far worse than it really was.

After the Gamecocks took an early 3-0 lead, Illinois got into the red zone within two plays after Luke Altmyer hooked up with Hank Beatty for a 59-yard catch and run. The Illini got down to the one-yard line and looked poised to take their first lead of the day.

[Join GamecockCentral: $1 for 7 days]

But on the next play, Debo Williams flew in on a run play and knocked the ball loose, forcing a fumble and recovery by Dylan Stewart. Just when it looked like the defense was about to give up a touchdown, one of the many heroes came through with a big play to force a touchback and give the offense the ball back.

Even with the defense making a big play, the offense quickly went three and out to spoil a great opportunity. And that would be the story of the first half. South Carolina got into plus territory three times but only came away with three points from its opening drive. Otherwise, there was a failed field goal attempt and a missed field goal that clanked off the left upright in the final seconds before halftime.

Meanwhile, the defense had some trouble slowing down Illinois’ offense as the Illini eventually took the lead in the second quarter after a 14-yard pass to Zahkari Franklin was overturned and ruled a touchdown. This would take Illinois into the break with a 7-3 lead.

After both teams traded punts to begin the second half, the Gamecocks got back in front after Oscar Adaway III found an open hole on 4th and 1 and took it to the house from 36 yards out for a touchdown.

It looked like the momentum was back in the Gamecocks’ favor after Jalon Kilgore picked off Altmyer on the ensuing possession. However, after the offense drove into Illinois territory following a 20-yard catch by Nyck Harbor, Jawarn Howell fumbled on the next play to give the ball right back to the Illini.

On the ensuing drive, Illinois marched down the field and got into the end zone on a three-yard touchdown run by Josh McCray. South Carolina punched right back on the next possession, getting into the end zone in five plays. LaNorris Sellers threw a six-yard pass to Joshua Simon near the back of the end zone for the touchdown to begin the fourth quarter.

The Gamecock defense continued to struggle to get off the field as McCray scored a nine-yard touchdown, his second of the day. It capped off a 13-play drive in which Illinois took more than seven minutes of time off the clock.

In a position where it was becoming four-down territory, South Carolina got all the way down to the seven-yard line. But the offense faced a critical fourth down with time winding down.

With the ball back in Illinois’ corner, McCray, who ran all over the Gamecocks on Tuesday, went for a 60-yard gain on 3rd and 2. This put South Carolina in a position where it had to start calling its timeouts. And on the other side, Illinois was able to run the clock down to secure the victory.

Up next: South Carolina will turn its attention to the offseason and get ready for a very important 2025 campaign. The Gamecocks will open the new season playing in the Aflac Kickoff Game on Aug. 31 against Virginia Tech in Atlanta.

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!