College bowl capsules: No. 20 Illinois holds off No. 15 South Carolina for rare 10th win

Josh McCray rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 7:29 left, to lead No. 20 Illinois to a 21-17 Citrus Bowl victory over No. 15 South Carolina Tuesday afternoon in Orlando, Fla.

Luke Altmyer completed 13 of 22 passes for 174 yards with one score and one interception, while Gabe Jacas racked up three tackles for loss as Illinois (10-3) earned its first 10-win season since 2001.

LaNorris Sellers hit on 24 of 34 passes for 260 yards and one touchdown for South Carolina (9-4), which had its six-game winning streak snapped. Oscar Adaway rushed for 69 yards and one touchdown and caught seven passes for 37 yards.

After Illinois went backward on the game’s first possession, South Carolina used favorable field position to set up Alex Herrera’s 29-yard field goal at 7:24 of the first quarter.

Illinois responded with a 59-yard crossing pattern from Altmyer to Hank Beatty that got the Illini inside South Carolina’s 1-yard line, but Debo Williams was credited with a forced fumble on the next snap — a McCray plunge — that Dylan Stewart recovered in the end zone for a touchback.

On the final play of the first quarter, Illinois capped a 76-yard drive with its first score. Altmyer scrambled and found Zakhari Franklin for a 15-yard touchdown and a 7-3 lead.

South Carolina squandered a scoring chance midway through the second quarter when it ran an unsuccessful trick play on fourth-and-7 from Illinois’ 13. The Gamecocks came up empty again on the half’s final play when Herrera doinked a 41-yard attempt off the upright.

South Carolina seized a 10-7 lead in the third quarter when Adaway broke through the middle on fourth-and-1 and sprinted 36 yards down the right sideline for a score. Illinois regained a 14-10 lead with 2:23 to go in the third on McCray’s 3-yard blast up the middle.

The Gamecocks forged the third lead change of the second half on the first snap of the fourth quarter. Sellers faked a handoff and lobbed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Simon for a 17-14 edge.

Illinois answered with McCray’s 7-yard touchdown run on a misdirection pitch to the left. South Carolina had a chance to retake the lead, but Sellers threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-4 inside Illinois’ 10 with 3:08 left.

McCray’s 60-yard rush on the ensuing drive allowed the Illini to run out the clock.

Louisville holds off Washington’s rally to win Sun Bowl

Harrison Bailey threw for three touchdowns Tuesday and Louisville held off Washington 35-34 to win the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

Bailey was more efficient than spectacular, completing 16 of 25 passes for 164 yards, but also directed a turnover-free offense that boasted good balance. The Cardinals (9-4) rushed for 207 yards, getting 99 yards from freshman Isaac Brown and 83 from another freshman, Duke Watson.

The Huskies (6-7) got a big game from quarterback Demond Williams, who shrugged off an early pick-six to hit 26 of 32 attempts for 374 yards and four scores. Giles Jackson shredded the Louisville secondary for 11 catches, 161 yards and all four touchdowns.

Bailey snapped a 21-21 tie on a 21-yard touchdown strike to wide-open tight end Nate Kurisky with 4:46 left in the third quarter. Louisville made it 35-21 less than three minutes later on an 8-yard scoring jaunt by Caullin Lacy.

Williams found Jackson over the middle for a 31-yard touchdown pass with 3:42 left in the game to get the Huskies within a score. They got within a point with nine seconds left when Williams hit Jackson on fourth-and-goal for a 1-yard strike but the two-point pass for the win was knocked away by Antonio Watts.

After two 15-yard celebration penalties on the Cardinals, Washington tried an onside kick from their 35 but the ball was knocked out of bounds with four seconds remaining.

Tahveon Nicholson gave Louisville a 7-0 lead 2:45 into the game, picking off Williams and lugging it 21 yards for a touchdown. But Williams responded with a 40-yard strike to Jackson at the 8:09 mark.

Bailey made it 14-7 with 27 seconds left in the first quarter on a 9-yard touchdown pass to Lacy but Williams and Jackson hooked up from 49 yards out with 8:10 remaining in the half.

Bailey’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Meeks gave the Cardinals a 21-14 edge but Williams rushed for a 7-yard score with 51 seconds left, tying the game at halftime.