Josh McCray scored his second touchdown of the game 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.

South Carolina fell on Tuesday to Illinois in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl by a final score of 21-17. The Gamecocks’ pursuit of a fifth 10-win season failed, and a lot of events somewhat separate from the action on the field stole headlines.

South Carolina star safety Nick Emmanwori is expected to declare for 2025 NFL Draft after sitting out the second half of the Gamecocks' 21-17 Citrus Bowl loss to Illinois. The junior registered five tackles in the game but was absent after halftime as the Illini put together a series of long drives to close out a hotly contested game.