Connect with us

South-Carolina

Illinois 21-17 South Carolina (Dec 31, 2024) Game Recap – ESPN

Published

on

Illinois 21-17 South Carolina (Dec 31, 2024) Game Recap – ESPN


ORLANDO, Fla. — — 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 on Tuesday.

Illinois’ defense sealed the win by stopping South Carolina (9-4) at the 7-yard line with a little more than three minutes remaining. McCray sealed the victory and helped the Illini run out the clock with a 60-yard run on a third-and-two play from the 15-yard line as Illinois (10-3) closed out the fifth 10-win season in program history and its first since 2001.

“He never looks for outward excuses,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said of McCray. “He just works hard and does a lot of really good things to make these days happen.”

McCray, named the game’s MVP, rushed for 114 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns. Luke Altmeyer threw for 174 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Advertisement

The teams exchanged the lead five times, and neither led by more than one score. Illinois took its final lead on McCray’s touchdown run with 7:29 remaining.

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers completed 24 of 34 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown for the Gamecocks, who fell short of the fifth 10-win season in program history. He threw a 6-yard TD pass to Joshua Simon in the third quarter for his only score. They could not connect again in the fourth quarter, leading to the critical turnover on downs.

“Obviously, we want to win,” Sellers said. “Some things didn’t go our way tonight. We have to get back to work and focus on next season.”

Oscar Adaway III rushed for 69 yards on 14 carries, including a 36-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter that gave South Carolina a shortlived lead.

Mixed Signals

Advertisement

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer needed to be restrained from pursuing Illinois coach Bret Bielema during a stoppage in the third quarter after Bielema came toward South Carolina’s sideline with his arms extended, a signal to them that he was not happy with a signal given earlier in the game.

Beamer and Beielema confirmed the dispute was over a signal South Carolina’s kick returners gave on a third-quarter kickoff when a player gave the typical signal they would let the ball go over their head and not return the ball. But the Gamecocks not only fielded the kick, but tried a lateral play that ended with a tackle at the 25.

Beamer said he cleared the use of that signal with the Big 12 officiating crew before the game and that it was legal, as long as the returners did not wave their arms like a fair catch. Bielema agreed that returning the kick was not against the rules, but went against the spirit of using that signal to limit injuries on kickoff returns.

Missed Chances

South Carolina had several missed chances that cost the team opportunities to take the lead.

Advertisement

In addition to the failed fourth down conversion late in the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks did not convert on a fourth down play from the 11 yard line in the second quarter when holder Kai Kroeger’s pass to Alex Huntley in the endzone fell incomplete. Kicker Alex Herrera also missed a field goal off the right upright at the end of the second quarter.

The Gamecocks went 2 for 4 in the red zone overall.

“The whole key to this game was finishing,” Beamer said. “We didn’t finish.”

Takeaways

Illinois and South Carolina looked to make program history by winning the 10th game of the season in the Citrus Bowl. Illinois’ experience with the junior Altmeyer under center won the day to hit that mark. But Illinois has one of the youngest roster in the power conferences. So does South Carolina. Sellers put on an impressive display, and the future looks bright for both teams in 2025.

Advertisement

Up next

South Carolina looks to build on its strong finish and six-game winning streak to close the regular season. The Gamecocks will be in Atlanta to face Virginia Tech on Aug. 31 in its opener.

Illinois will look to build on a strong showing this season and open its 2025 season on Aug. 30 against Western Illinois.

——

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

South-Carolina

Oak Lawn semi driver made bomb threat that shut down South Carolina interstate: police

Published

on

Oak Lawn semi driver made bomb threat that shut down South Carolina interstate: police


A truck driver from suburban Oak Lawn was charged after a bomb threat led authorities to shut down a South Carolina interstate for hours, law enforcement said.

Ahmad Jamal Khamees Alhendi, 28, was charged with breach of peace of high and aggravated nature, conveying false information about a bomb threat and no vehicle license.

At around 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, a South Carolina State Transport Police officer pulled over a tractor-trailer on Interstate 85 in Greenville County due to a missing license plate, WYFF, the NBC affiliate in Greenville, South Carolina, reported. During the stop, the driver, identified as Alhendi, indicated there was an explosive device inside the vehicle, officials said.

All lanes of the highway were shut down while law enforcement investigated the threat.

Advertisement

Following the incident, Alhendi was placed on a detainer by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Alhendi failed to comply with the terms of his legal admittance and now has a hearing scheduled for Aug. 6, 2026, before an immigration judge, WYFF reported.



Source link

Continue Reading

South-Carolina

South Carolina star accepts invitation to 100th Shrine Bowl

Published

on

South Carolina star accepts invitation to 100th Shrine Bowl


South Carolina running back Rocket Sanders has accepted an invitation to play in the 100th East-West Shrine Bowl. The Shrine Bowl announced the news on social media.

The East-West Shrine Bowl gives seniors the opportunity to perform in an all-star showcase environment. Practices, combines, and other professional evaluations will help players like Sanders while they prepare for the NFL Draft.

Sanders has earned NFL Draft projections following his strong senior season. Now, at the East-West Shrine Bowl, he will have the opportunity to perform in front of professional scouts, coaches, and decision-makers. Dallas’ AT&T Stadium will host the January 30th exhibition.

He joins fellow Gamecock NFL Draft-hopeful Kai Kroeger as South Carolina alums participating in the Shrine Bowl. Several other USC seniors with professional aspirations will play in other all-star showcases.

Advertisement

[Join GamecockCentral: $1 for 7 days]

In just one year with the Gamecocks, Sanders left a mark. He brought stability and big-play ability to a running game that was the worst in school history the previous season. His rushing totals were the highest in garnet and black since Kevin Harris’ SEC-leading 2020 campaign.

An All-SEC performer this fall, Sanders posted just under 1200 yards of offense and 13 touchdowns despite missing the Citrus Bowl, most of the Akron contest, and parts of the Ole Miss game. He also made one of the best run-after-catch plays in Gamecock history in the team’s last-minute win over the Missouri Tigers in the Mayor’s Cup.

Sanders’ NFL Draft future is difficult to read because of the position he plays. Outside of the top few running backs, the NFL often doesn’t use high draft picks on ball carriers. Because of that, Sanders’ draft grades have been all over the place. A strong showing at the East-West Shrine Bowl would help solidify his place for next April.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

South-Carolina

South Carolina State visits Hobbs and Morgan State

Published

on

Nebraska vs. UCLA: How to Watch, Channel, Prediction, Odds – Jan 4


Associated Press

South Carolina State Bulldogs (6-9) at Morgan State Bears (6-10)

Baltimore; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST

Advertisement

BOTTOM LINE: Morgan State takes on South Carolina State after Kameron Hobbs scored 25 points in Morgan State’s 90-68 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The Bears have gone 6-2 at home. Morgan State is second in the MEAC in rebounding averaging 32.9 rebounds. Daniel Akitoby paces the Bears with 6.2 boards.

The Bulldogs are 2-8 on the road. South Carolina State is second in the MEAC giving up 69.7 points while holding opponents to 44.0% shooting.

Morgan State makes 49.9% of its shots from the field this season, which is 5.9 percentage points higher than South Carolina State has allowed to its opponents (44.0%). South Carolina State averages 6.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.3 fewer made shots on average than the 8.0 per game Morgan State allows.

The Bears and Bulldogs face off Saturday for the first time in MEAC play this season.

Advertisement

TOP PERFORMERS: Akitoby is averaging 7.5 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Bears.

Drayton Jones is averaging 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the Bulldogs.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bears: 3-7, averaging 81.4 points, 32.8 rebounds, 15.4 assists, 7.6 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 49.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 85.1 points per game.

Bulldogs: 4-6, averaging 70.6 points, 29.2 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 8.2 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.1 points.

___

Advertisement

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.




Source link

Continue Reading

Trending