South-Carolina

3 Big Takeaways From Illinois Football’s Citrus Bowl Win Over South Carolina

Published

1 year ago

January 1, 2025

3 Big Takeaways From Illinois Football’s Citrus Bowl Win Over South Carolina

Games like Tuesday’s Citrus Bowl don’t come around very often for Illinois, and seasons like 2024 have been even less frequent around Champaign.

Consider that as recently as 2016-2018, the Illini were able to pull together just nine wins over a three-year stretch. With their 21-17 upset over South Carolina on New Year’s Eve, the Illini topped that total in 2024 alone – only their fifth 10-win season in program history and first since 2001.

There was plenty to process after Illinois’ fifth fourth-quarter comeback this season – this one without late-game heroics of receiver Pat Bryant – but we’ve landed on three big-picture takeaways worth breaking out:

The month between Illinois’ win over Northwestern in its regular-season finale and Tuesday’s Citrus Bowl triumph wasn’t a bye, per se, but it underscored how well Bielema teams have performed – especially in recent years – when they have extra time to prepare.

Now 6-1 coming off bye weeks, the Bielema-coached Illini were on point in just about every way against the Gamecocks. They shut down South Carolina’s biggest threat (quarterback LaNorris Sellers’ scrambling), matched Shane Beamer’s mass-substitution machinations, managed the clock effectively and committed no penalties.

Too late to recast ballots for 2024 Big Ten Coach of the Year?

Reports of the Big Ten’s death, as it turns out, were exaggerated. Indiana’s 10-point loss to Notre Dame has somehow been held up as the avatar for all that is wrong with the College Football Playoff and the supposed overblown reputation of the Big Ten. But let’s take stock of just the past 10 days, shall we?

Penn State smashed SMU. Ohio State took Tennessee to the woodshed. You can still smell the lamination on USC’s Big Ten credentials, but the Trojans still topped Texas A&M. Nebraska topped Boston College, Penn State slapped around Boise State and, in what had been considered to be an embarrassment of a season for the reigning national champions, Michigan beat No. 11 Alabama.

So much whining about Bama having been denied its rightful place in the CFP. So little proof.

Meanwhile, Illinois did its part to rep the Big Ten, and quarterback Luke Altmyer wasn’t shy about sharing his feelings of vindication after the Illini’s win over the Gamecocks – particularly when faced with that special brand of SEC snobbery.

#illini QB Luke Altmyer said some South Carolina players thought they were Syracuse at a combined team event this week.
“Been hearing all this talk about SEC, SEC in the playoff and things like that, and I’m just tired of the disrespect. Illinois has been a disrespected program… pic.twitter.com/i5o3ECvAdb
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) January 1, 2025

It’s silly for anyone outside an organization to pretend to know exactly what’s going on behind the curtain, but as a natural cynic who has covered Illinois football for more than 30 years across seven coaching regimes, I’ll say this: These Illini seem different.

Bielema has a plan and values culture (practicing, not merely preaching it), which means he’s simpatico with athletic director Josh Whitman. And it’s amazing what can be accomplished when you throw smart, experienced people into the same boat and they all row in the same direction together. That has been the mark of Illinois athletics in recent years, but it has also been the m.o. of Bielema’s program, seemingly from top to bottom.

The last few steps to the top of the mountain are the hardest, and you know what they say about staying there. Solving NIL will be the key to Illinois’ long-term success, but a 10-win season culminating in a Citrus Bowl win over an SEC team that many believed belonged in the CFP should help properly equip the Illini for the climb.

Social Media Reacts to Illinois Football’s Citrus Bowl Upset Over South Carolina

Gesture-Gate: The Ridiculousness of the Shane Beamer-Bret Bielema Clash

Illinois Football Stuns South Carolina in Program-Shifting Citrus Bowl Upset

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South-Carolina

South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Jan. 10, 2026

Published

13 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

South Carolina Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Jan. 10, 2026

The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 10, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

05-19-21-28-64, Powerball: 14, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

Midday: 3-5-2, FB: 0

Evening: 8-2-9, FB: 7

Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

Midday: 6-2-7-3, FB: 0

Evening: 9-6-9-4, FB: 7

Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

Midday: 05

Evening: 13

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

02-04-31-38-40

Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Jan. 10 drawing

10-19-39-47-67, Powerball: 18

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:

For prizes up to $500, you can redeem your winnings directly at any authorized South Carolina Education Lottery retailer. Simply present your signed winning ticket at the retailer for an immediate payout.

Winnings $501 to $100,000, may be redeemed by mailing your signed winning ticket along with a completed claim form and a copy of a government-issued photo ID to the South Carolina Education Lottery Claims Center. For security, keep copies of your documents and use registered mail to ensure the safe arrival of your ticket.

SC Education Lottery

P.O. Box 11039

Columbia, SC 29211-1039

For large winnings above $100,000, claims must be made in person at the South Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters in Columbia. To claim, bring your signed winning ticket, a completed claim form, a government-issued photo ID, and your Social Security card for identity verification. Winners of large prizes may also set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for convenient direct deposit of winnings.

Columbia Claims Center

1303 Assembly Street

Columbia, SC 29201

Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.

For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.

When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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South-Carolina

Killer lawyer Alex Murdaugh works prison job as court weighs bid for new trial

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Killer lawyer Alex Murdaugh works prison job as court weighs bid for new trial

Nearly three years after disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh was convicted of slaughtering his wife and son, he is keeping his head down and nose clean while his lawyers craft an appeal.

The imprisoned scion of a South Carolina legal dynasty is working a prison job, staying largely out of trouble, and pressing forward with his case, according to a report.

Murdaugh, 57, is serving two life sentences without parole for the June 2021 killings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh.

He is also serving concurrent 40-year federal and 27-year state sentences for financial crimes.

South Carolina Department of Corrections records show Murdaugh has worked as a wardkeeper’s assistant since August 2023.

A wardkeeper’s assistant is responsible for day-to-day operations at a prison, such as helping manage the housing unit where inmates live.

That same month, he was disciplined for feeding information to a documentary crew and barred from phone use and canteen purchases for 30 days, according to his inmate record. He has remained infraction-free since.

His attorney, Dick Harpootlian, said Murdaugh spends much of his time focused on his appeal.

“You can talk to him, unlike normal clients who have no concept of the appellate process or how all this works,” Harpootlian told the Daily Mail. “He is interested because he is a lawyer, so we talk about where we’re at and what we think the grave issues are with the case and what our weaknesses are.”

Harpootlian said they speak weekly and described his client as being in good spirits.

“I think Alex understands he did a bad thing in stealing all that money,” Harpootlian said. “He is adamant he didn’t kill Paul and Maggie. He always has been … and when we get a fair trial, I think the jury will determine he didn’t do it.”

Murdaugh is hopeful about a new trial, his attorney said, but cautioned the inmate is “not confident of anything.”

Behind the scenes, the family dynamic appears far more strained.

Murdaugh’s surviving son, Buster, and daughter-in-law, Brooklynn, have stayed away, a source told the outlet.

The insider said Buster carries “a lot of anger about the loss of his mom and brother” and avoids discussing the case.

“Whether or not Alex killed them, he definitely did enough to tarnish Buster’s name forever, and he’s angry about that,” the source said.

Murdaugh’s appeal heads back to court Feb. 11, when his legal team and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office will argue before the state Supreme Court in Columbia.

The appeal centers largely on allegations that former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill tampered with the jury during Murdaugh’s murder trial.

Hill pleaded guilty in December to obstruction of justice, perjury, and two counts of misconduct in office after admitting she showed sealed crime scene photos to a reporter and lied about it.

She also admitted to promoting her book about the trial through her public office.

Hill was sentenced to probation. Prosecutors said they found insufficient evidence to prove jury tampering.

Attorneys for Murdaugh argue that Hill’s conduct tainted the trial and jurors should not have heard extensive testimony about his financial crimes.

“By the time the jury heard two-and-a-half weeks of testimony about him stealing $12 million from invalids and orphans, he was so vilified it didn’t matter what [Murdaugh] said on the stand,” Harpootlian said.

Prosecutors maintain the verdict was sound.

Former South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Jean Toal previously ruled Hill’s conduct did not affect the outcome.

Harpootlian said he still believes two shooters carried out the killings.

“There is strategic evidence to indicate that’s correct,” he said. “Two different guns shooting two different people … The forensics supports two people [committing the crime].”

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South-Carolina

South Carolina Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for Jan. 9, 2026

Published

2 days ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 9, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Jan. 9 drawing

12-30-36-42-47, Mega Ball: 16

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Jan. 9 drawing

Midday: 0-6-7, FB: 8

Evening: 2-9-5, FB: 0

Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from Jan. 9 drawing

Midday: 6-2-1-1, FB: 8

Evening: 7-6-1-0, FB: 0

Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Jan. 9 drawing

Midday: 02

Evening: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from Jan. 9 drawing

04-11-26-33-37

Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:

SC Education Lottery

P.O. Box 11039

Columbia, SC 29211-1039

Columbia Claims Center

1303 Assembly Street

Columbia, SC 29201

Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.

For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.

When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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