{"id":71319,"date":"2025-01-01T17:32:49","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T22:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=71319"},"modified":"2025-01-01T17:32:49","modified_gmt":"2025-01-01T22:32:49","slug":"cheez-it-citrus-bowl-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/01\/01\/cheez-it-citrus-bowl-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 20th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini brought 15th-ranked South Carolina\u2019s six-game winning streak to a halt on New Year\u2019s Eve, defeating them in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl by a score of 21-17. The win caps off the Illini\u2019s first 10-win season in over two decades and gives Bret Bielema\u2019s<\/a> squad a massive jolt of momentum heading into the new year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conversely, the loss puts a bit of a damper on what has been a big season for Shane Beamer\u2019s<\/a> Gamecocks. With so much to unpack from a tightly contested battle in Tampa Bay, let\u2019s look at the key takeaways from the 2024 Cheez-Itz Citrus Bowl.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tightly Contested Matchup<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

In a bowl season <\/span>that has been<\/span> characterized by blowouts, the Gamecocks and Illini both brought their A-game to Tampa Bay.<\/span> It was a traditionally low-scoring back-and-forth slugfest that even saw the two head coaches getting into it at one point. The competitive juices were flowing on New Year\u2019s Eve, leading to a great game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both teams’ first half was characterized by multiple turnovers, as neither could gain any momentum. The Illini took a slim lead into the locker room for halftime, but it was still anyone’s game. Coming out, both sides found their rhythm, with both exchanging scores down the backstretch. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Carolina took a 17-14 lead on a short touchdown pass at the start of the fourth quarter. The Illini answered back late with a touchdown to regain the lead though, putting the pressure back on Carolina. Carolina mounted a valiant last-minute rally but ultimately came up short. The Illini defense forced the turnover on downs with a minute left to secure the win. <\/span><\/p>\n

With such a talent gap between the two sides, many wondered if Illinois <\/span>would be able to<\/span> compete with a South Carolina side that received Playoff considerations. Bielema\u2019s guys were more than ready for the challenge though and proved it by pulling out the upset. Conversely, it was very apparent the Gamecocks were missing Rocket Sanders out of the backfield. They were also sorely missing the reigning Nagurski Award winner Kyle Kennard on defense.<\/span><\/p>\n

Head Coaches Exchange Barbs<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

While the game was certainly entertaining, it was overshadowed<\/span>\u00a0by the two head coaches getting into it at the end of the third quarter. <\/span>Following an Illinois player going down with an injury in front of the Carolina sideline, Bret Bielema walked over to check on his guy. In the process <\/span>through up<\/span> the hand sign referees use when signaling they\u2019re giving the defense time to substitute players.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beamer took exception to this gesture and had to be restrained by two <\/span>of his<\/span> staffers as he went after his counterpart. <\/span>This all came to a head <\/span>as a result of the Illini taking their time when running on<\/span> defensive substitutions.<\/span> Whenever an offense subs out players, the defense must be given ample time to sub out their <\/span>players<\/span>\u00a0before the ball is snapped.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beamer had been taking exception to the slower pace Illinois had been using all game, as he was forced to burn two timeouts to avoid a delay of game penalty <\/span>as a result<\/span>. Each time he pleaded with the refs to speed the pace up. Bielema <\/span>took note of this, and as such took the opportunity to rub salt in the proverbial wound. Beamer gave his thoughts on the gesture post-game, calling the move \u201cbush league.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Bielema didn\u2019t have much to say about the incident in his post-game presser. He did, however, appear to send one last shot at Carolina\u2019s head coach on social media following the game. In a post on Beamer\u2019s personal Twitter where he was talking about the incident and referring to it as unethical. Bielema responded with a simple \u201cHappy New Year, and congrats on a great season.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Impact for Illinois<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

As <\/span>was<\/span> mentioned before, this win marks the first time in 23 years that the Fighting Illini have won ten or more games. It really is a testament to the job Bielema has done rebuilding the program<\/span>, and how he\u2019s been able to successfully navigate<\/span> the new age of NIL and the Transfer Portal.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s <\/span>not an overstatement to say this is the biggest win for Illinois in 20-plus years. Capping off your first double-digit win campaign against a red-hot SEC team is massive in every sense of the word. Now the Illini have all the momentum in the world heading into next season and are sure to be a hot destination when the spring transfer window opens <\/span>up<\/span> in April. Bielema touched on what the key to this turnaround has been in his post-game presser.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have this DNA philosophy in our <\/span>program called TSD<\/span>,\u201d Bielema said. \u201cTough, smart, dependable, and I <\/span>kind of<\/span> recruit to it. I hire staff to it. It\u2019s something we live in our program every day. Toughness, smartness, and dependability are really to do. I don\u2019t think it has to do with how fast you are, or how high you can jump. How far you can throw a football, how well you run with the football, how well you can tackle. It\u2019s about how you live. And these guys are great examples, but I think we always <\/span>go back<\/span> to our core principles.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s clear something special is being built at Illinois, and this win is just further proof. The foundation has been laid for success, and the culture is in place. <\/span>Now we get to see what they can do when success is the expectation <\/span>as opposed to<\/span> the exception.<\/span><\/p>\n

Impact for South Carolina<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

For the Gamecocks, this loss puts a bit of a damper on <\/span>what had been<\/span> an outstanding run to end the regular season. A win here would have marked their first 10-win campaign since the 2013 season. Instead, they have to settle with a 9-4 finish. This is sure to leave a sour taste in the mouths of many.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, this doesn\u2019t take away from <\/span>what has been<\/span> a great season for the Gamecocks. Coming into the year, many saw their schedule and assumed they\u2019d be struggling to reach bowl eligibility. <\/span>Instead, Carolina went toe to toe with every team in their path<\/span>, <\/span>and as a result, <\/span>were<\/span> on the fringe of playoff eligibility. They\u2019ve also built a culture of success that much like Illinois, will be the foundation future teams will build on.<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s never easy ending a season off on a loss, but the Gamecocks have plenty to look forward to. This team has proved they can compete with the SEC\u2019s elite, and with a young core of elite playmakers in the fold, they\u2019re sure to be right back in the Playoff mix <\/span>come<\/span> next season.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 20th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini brought 15th-ranked South Carolina\u2019s six-game winning streak to a halt on New Year\u2019s Eve, defeating them in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl by a score of 21-17. The win caps off the Illini\u2019s first 10-win season in over two decades and gives Bret Bielema\u2019s squad a massive jolt of momentum heading […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5264,"featured_media":71339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5,3],"tags":[7983,1322,316,20,80],"class_list":["post-71319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-bigten","category-sec","tag-big-ten-football","tag-citrus-bowl","tag-illinois-fighting-illini","tag-sec","tag-south-carolina-gamecocks"],"modified_by":"Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5264"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71319"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71340,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71319\/revisions\/71340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}