The No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks football team fell to the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini 24-17 in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Tuesday in Orlando, Florida.
The Gamecocks (9-4, 5-3 SEC) took a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter, but the Fighting Illini (10-3, 6-3 Big Ten) went on a long touchdown drive to come from behind and win the game.
"A hurt locker room in there as you can imagine," head coach Shane Beamer said. "Lot of guys that have poured their heat and soul into Gamecock football, and wanted so much for them to get that tenth win."
To open the contest, the Gamecocks' defense forced a three and out when junior edge Bryan Thomas Jr. sacked junior quarterback Luke Altmyer on third down. After the punt, the Gamecocks went on a long scoring drive that included three rushes for 12 yards by senior running back Oscar Adway III. Sixth-year kicker Alex Herrera capped the drive with a successful 29-yard field goal, giving the Gamecocks a 3-0 lead.
Facing an early deficit, the Fighting Illini quickly responded when Altmyer found junior wide receiver Hank Beatty for a 59-yard gain. With the ball at South Carolina's one-yard line, sixth-year linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. forced a fumble, which was recovered by freshman edge Dylan Stewart.
Following the turnover, the Gamecocks' offense punted back to Illinois after a pass on third down from redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers fell incomplete. Midway through the first quarter, the Fighting Illini then went on an 11 play, 76-yard drive that was capped by a 15-yard touchdown catch by senior wide receiver Zakhari Franklin. Illinois held a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, South Carolina went on a 16 play, 62-yard drive highlighted by a 15-yard rush from sophomore running back Jawarn Howell. On fourth down at Illinois' 13-yard line, a fake field goal attempt by the Gamecocks failed, giving the ball back to the Illini. Illinois failed to take advantage of the turnover after Altmyer threw an incomplete pass on third down.
The Gamecocks put together another long drive with under five minutes to go in the first half. Sophomore wide receiver Nyck Harbor made a 15-yard catch to put South Carolina within field goal range. However, Herrera missed a 41-yard try, preventing the Gamecocks from scoring to end the half.
"I think we were 7-11 on third down in the first half," Beamer said. "We were running the ball. They only had I think 20 plays of offense in the entire first half. They hit one play on us on the RPO early in the game, but other than that we were doing a good job defensively."
The Fighting Illini began the third quarter with an onside kick attempt that was recovered by South Carolina. Following the recovery, the Gamecocks' drive stalled when Sellers was sacked on third down by sophomore defensive back Mac Resetich. After a punt by the Fighting Illini, South Carolina scored its first touchdown of the game when Adaway III rushed for a 36-yard touchdown, giving the Gamecocks a 10-7 advantage.
Following the score, the Gamecocks' momentum continued when sophomore defensive back Jalon Kilgore intercepted a throw from Altmyer, giving South Carolina the ball at its own 30-yard line. Looking to extend its lead, the Gamecocks failed to capitalize on the turnover when a Howell fumble was recovered by sophomore Illinois defensive back Jaheim Clarke.
With around seven minutes to go in the third quarter, the Fighting Illini quickly moved the ball to midfield where Altmyer rushed for 11 yards. After Altmyer found freshman wide receiver Collin Dixon for a 27-yard completion, junior running back Josh McCray rushed for a three yard touchdown. Illinois held a 14-10 lead late in the third quarter.
Following the touchdown, the Gamecocks found momentum when Sellers connected with sixth year wide receiver Dalevon Campbell for a 60-yard gain. To open the fourth quarter, sixth-year tight end Joshua Simon made a six-yard touchdown catch, giving South Carolina a 17-14 lead. However, the Fighting Illini responded with a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive that took off over seven minutes of the clock. McCray ended the drive with a seven yard touchdown that gave Illinois a 21-17 advantage.
Facing a four-point deficit late in the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks' offense quickly moved the ball into Fighting Illini territory after Sellers threw a 24-yard pass to Simon. South Carolina moved the ball into the red zone after a seven-yard run by Adaway III. At the Fighting Illini seven yard line, South Carolina's offense stalled on fourth down when Sellers' pass intended for Simon in the end zone fell incomplete. Illinois proceed to run out the clock on its next drive to clinch the win.
"To run off six wins in a row like we did and have a shot at the playoff," Beamer said. "And then to have an opportunity to come down here and win 10 games, I'd hope they'd be remembered for the great moments on the field that they accomplished for the first time ever at Carolina."
Turnovers plague South Carolina
In its matchup against Illinois, the Gamecocks committed several costly turnovers. Midway through the third quarter, Illinois senior defensive lineman Ezekiel Holmes forced a fumble by Howell at Illinois' 37-yard line. On South Carolina's final drive of the game, the Gamecocks ran four plays inside the Illinois' 11-yard line. However, the Gamecocks were once again held scoreless when Sellers' fourth down pass for Simon fell incomplete.
"Obviously we wanted to win, but some things didn't go our way tonight," Sellers said. "We've just got to go back to work and focus on next season."
Rushing offense powers Illini to victory
Illinois dominated South Carolina on the ground on Tuesday afternoon, rushing 35 times for 183 yards in the game. McCray finished with 13 rushes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. McCray's performance helped him earn the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Most Valuable Player honor. Sophomore running back Aidan Laughrey also added 16 rushes for 67 yards.
"They were mixing up personnel groupings on us," Beamer said."I'll have to look at the tape just to see, but we weren't great tackling today. The whole key was everyone doing their jobs. Players, coaches, we just weren't good enough today."
Coming into the contest, South Carolina's defense averaged 113.5 opponent rush yards per game, ranking 15th nationally overall. Knight Jr. finished with seven total tackles, while Thomas Jr. posted six tackles and a sack.
Gamecocks' offense struggles with consistency
South Carolina's offense had an up and down performance against the Illini. The Gamecocks put together multiple long drives that ended in turnovers, including its final drive of the game. Sellers finished 24-34 passing for 263 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Adaway III rushed 13 times for 69 yards and a touchdown.
"I would hope they'd be remembered for the foundation they laid and the amazing moments they created this season," Beamer said. "If you look at those preseason projections, very few of them even had us in a bowl game in 2024."