Illinois is no stranger to late heroics. The Illini entered Tuesday’s Cheez-It Citrus Bowl leading the nation with four fourth-quarter comebacks. Once again, things would come down to the final 15 minutes as running back Josh McCray had two touchdowns,

The Citrus Bowl, played annually in Orlando since 1947, is the seventh-oldest bowl game in the country. It traditionally features top teams from the Big Ten and SEC, drawing fans from across the country.

The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl took an unexpected heated turn late in the third quarter. With Illinois holding onto a 14–10 over South Carolina, Fighting Illini coach Bret Bielema walked onto the field to check on injured defensive back Jaheim Clarke on the field.

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.

It’s gameday in the Sunshine State, and there’s a lot on the line for the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. South Carolina (9-3) is trying to win its 10th football game in a season for the fifth time ever.

Here is the everything South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said about the heated interaction between him and Bret Bielema during Citrus Bowl.

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.

It's Illinois vs South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl in the 2024 college football postseason. Follow along for live score and game updates from Orlando.

Illinois’ football team has used a lot of helmet designs over the years, but they’ll make history on Tuesday afternoon when they take the field against South Carolina.

Illinois' first Citrus Bowl appearance since the turn of the century. The Illini's first 10-win season since 2001? But all of those yo