The No. 13 Texas Longhorns took a while to get rolling, but a close game turned into a comfortable win after a huge fourth quarter from the defense, including two fourth quarter interceptions of Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood. Texas managed to put the offense into gear in the fourth quarter, mostly thanks to the efforts of the other star quarterback in the game, Texas’s Arch Manning.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Tennessee football capped off its 2023 season on a strong note by dominating No. 17 Iowa 35-0 in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Monday afternoon.
The Vols’ defense held Iowa to just 173 yards while Nico Iamaleava turned in a strong performance in the first start of his career.
Following the win, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel discussed Iamaleava’s performance, the complete defensive showing and much more. Here’s everything Heupel said.
Opening statement
“Proud of our team, our program. I thought during the course of our preparation that they were very intentional, focused when we were in the meeting room, out on the practice field. They were engaged and they competed hard. That was true in our preparation back home, and it was true while we were here. And they enjoyed the bowl festivities. At the same time, they came out and played, the right way, prepared the right way. Proud of the performance.
“You look defensively on the line on the line of scrimmage, handled the running game, really the entire day. Matched things out on the boot game and got off the field on third down. The front applied pressure throughout the course of the game. James (Pearce) did an unbelievable job the entire day. Obviously, everybody saw the pick. He was in the backfield all day, after the quarterback all day long.
“Offensively, efficient enough. Nico (Iamaleava) played really well. First-time starter. There was nothing that was too big for him, never got rattled. Very composed, in control of the communication, in control of the run game, just did an unbelievable job — decision-making and the plays with his feet as well.
“End of the day, all three phases well together. And that was a challenge for us going into this one. That’s a really good football team that we played today. It had a tremendous amount of success this season, but Coach Ferentz, great amount of respect for who he’s, how conducts his program. A great way to finish the ‘23 season and to kick off the ’24 (season).”
On James Pearce’s performance, being more versatile moving forward for Tennessee’s defense
“James has got a great football future in front of him. He’s great player right now, but he’s got a chance to be extremely special. And for him, just continuing to grow in his understanding of football IQ as we continue to move him around and put him in positions to win is gonna be extremely important as we go through this offseason. He’s dynamic, he’s got multiple moves to affect the quarterback. But there’s still growth in some of those fundamentals and continue to grow in how he defends the run. He’s going that well, but there’s still some growth there. I say all of that, he’s a dynamic playmaker for us. He’s really rare, got a really bright future in front of him.”
On how Nico Iamaleava’s play against Iowa impacts his outlook for Iamaleava moving forward
“I believe he’s going to be a great dynamic player. And I know that. I thought he handled himself really composed all day long. Subtle things, little things, breaking the huddle, communication inside of the hall, controlling the run game. His eyes went in the right place. Great to see a young guy go out and perform in that way in his first career start. There’s a lot of things that Nico can continue to grow and grow in. The challenge early in the football game was guys playing at a really high level around him, too. I didn’t think we played as well as we were capable at times around him, but we got great confidence in him and that quarterback toom. We got great confidence in those young players. A lot of guys got an opportunity to play a lot more football today than they had. And a lot of them played extremely well. But it also showed some things where they’ve got an opportunity to grow and how those things impact our game unfolds. And I’m really excited about who’s in that locker room, who’s coming back, and where we have an opportunity to go in ’24.”
On the decision to redshirt Nico Iamaleava during his freshman season at Tennessee
“End of the day, for the quarterbacks and the guys at every position, you don’t have a ‘like, listen, you’re strictly going to redshirt and won’t play in anything other than the four games’ until you’re on the very end of the season because of the way the game unfolds and injuries that take place.
“And Nico’s been one play of away in the entire season from having to carry the load the rest of the way home. And just continue to fight as a competitor. I’m really pleased and proud of the way that he has handled his preparation every single week. I think he’s gotten better throughout the course of the season in understanding the urgency and that preparation. That’s a huge part of the reason he went out and played the way he did today.”
On how impressed he was with how Iamaleava operated the offense, avoiding penalties
“The first two (penalties) weren’t on him either. We didn’t start off the way that we needed to but after that he came out, started really fast decision making, controlling everything, really excited about how he performed. Early in the football game, offensively, special teams, there was a couple things that we didn’t do the way that we needed to. We got to be able to start faster in that one. I do like the way we responded and played clean football, really, the rest of the way home. Proud of the guys for that.”
On defensive end Tyre West’s performance
“It’s true that we got a lot of guys coming back that have played a lot of football. We’ve rotated a bunch of guys. They’ve all had days where they were extremely violent, disruptive, got the quarterback, played the run game extremely well. That group’s got a chance, if they do it the right way this off season, fundamentally, continuing to change their bodies, football IQ, understanding of the game to be a game changing unit. We need that from them and we need that from this guy right here to my right (James Pearce Jr.).”
On Andre Turrentine’s interception in the end zone
“Special teams, we don’t field the pond. We get backed up, we have a couple of penalties. We end up mis-hitting the ball on the rugby (punt). They got a short field, great play by (And)Dre (Turrentine) to undercut in the backside extension and great to see him go perform the way that he did. But that was a huge play and changed the dynamics of the game early in the football game and huge play.”
On James Pearce Jr’s pick six
“Yeah, that wasn’t bad was it? Let me tell you, great job. Understand the formation where the bodies are at what type release he’s getting. Ability to take his eyes, undercut the route and athletic enough to go make the play. He’s on the jugs a couple times a week just to make sure that you’re ready for that opportunity, you know what I mean? Might have asked him why at one point in your career, but it’s for that moment and nothing looks better than seeing a big man like him run down the sidelines.”
On what type of statement this win makes for the program
“The finish to the ‘23 season is the kick off to ‘24. I think it speaks to the culture that we have inside of our building, our locker room. Speaks to the type of competitors that we have that buckle their chin straps and wear the Power T on the side of their helmet. You look at all of the young guys that got so many meaningful snaps today. I think it speaks to the future being extremely bright. There’s a lot of things that we’re going to need to reset and grow from when they come back in January. Every season starts over, but it’s a group that I love being around and if we can continue to be great teammates, care about the people around us more than we care about ourselves, we can pour into each other, we compete extremely hard every single day, while having as much fun as we possibly can the future’s extremely bright. The challenge is great. The standard is to win championships at Tennessee. Nobody shies away from that. We got to continue to grow to put ourselves in position to do that.”
ORLANDO, Fla. – The LSU offense exploded for 594 yards of total offense to defeat Purdue, 63-7, and become Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Champions on Monday at Camping World Stadium.
LSU finishes the season with a 10-4 record.
KEY PERFORMANCES
Quarterback Jayden Daniels finished 12-of-17 for 139 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier went 10-of-14 for 98 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Sophomore receiver Malik Nabers led the receivers with nine catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. Freshman tight end Mason Taylor recorded five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Senior safety Greg Brooks shined on defense with five tackles, one for loss, along with an interception.
KEY PLAYS
Purdue won the toss and deferred to the second half.
On 1st-and-10 from the LSU 44, Daniels found Taylor for a 19-yard completion to the Purdue 44. On 4th-and-2 from the 36, the Tigers elected to go for it, and Daniels connected with Nabers for a 12-yard pickup to the Boilermaker 24. Daniels then found Nabers again for a 9-yard gain down to the Purdue 15.
The drive culminated in a 1-yard scoring run from senior running back John Emery to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 7:01 remaining in the first quarter of action.
After forcing Purdue to punt, the Tigers were awarded an extra 15 yards after a kick-catch interference penalty was enforced. Gregory Clayton fair caught the football at the LSU 18 and the penalty moved the ball to the 33.
Nussmeier entered at quarterback on LSU’s third offensive possession of the game. On 3rd-and-4, Nussmeier found Taylor for an 17-yard completion and first down to the Purdue 14. Noah Cain rushed up the middle for a 9-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0 with 1:06 to play in the first quarter.
It was a strong start for the LSU defense, holding Purdue to just four pass yards and 17 rush yards in the first quarter of play.
Daniels returned at quarterback for the Tigers, finding Nabers for a 17-yard connection to the Purdue 46 and then finding Taylor for a 32-yard touchdown completion, creating some separation with an early 21-0 advantage with 13:03 to play in the second quarter.
On their next offensive possession, Daniels went back to Taylor for a 15-yard completion over the middle of the field to the LSU 45. Taylor had five catches for 83 yards, averaging 20.8 yards per catch at that point in the game.
Daniels put the Tigers in prime scoring position after a 37-yard QB keep advanced the ball to the Purdue 9. The 37-yard run by Daniels marked a season-long.
Cain recorded his second rushing touchdown of the game with a 9-yard score, extending LSU’s lead to 28-0 with 8:23 to play in the first half at Camping World Stadium.
With Purdue driving inside the LSU 30, Burton’s pass with interception by Jarrick Bernard-Converse.
On a trick play, Nabers found Kyren Lacy for a 45-yard completion to the Purdue 10. (The 45-yard completion from Nabers to Lacey was the longest by an LSU non-QB since WR Todd Kinchen threw a 51-yard TD pass to WR Tony Moss vs. Ohio on 9/30/1989.)
Nussmeier, who was back under center, then found Brian Thomas Jr. for a 10-yard touchdown to make it 35-0.
Taking a 35-0 lead into the break, LSU tied its school record for half-time margin in a bowl game (35). (LSU led Oklahoma in the CFP Semifinal (Peach Bowl), 49-14, on Dec. 28, 2019.)
The Tigers forced a turnover on downs to open the second half as senior linebacker Micah Baskerville nearly intercepted Burton on 4th-and-4 from the Purdue 45.
Nabers found Daniels for a 5-yard touchdown pass. That marked Nabers’ second completion of the game, giving him 50 yards passing and a touchdown, to extend the Tigers’ lead to 42-0.
Brooks picked off Alaimo at the Purdue 27 with 9:17 remaining in the third quarter.
Nabers added to an already impressive day by taking a jet sweep from Nussmeier 75 yards for a touchdown, extending the LSU lead to 49-0 with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
On the second play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter, the Boilermakers got on the board as Alaimo found Sheffield for a 16-yard touchdown to make it 49-7 Tigers.
True freshman Walker Howard entered at quarterback for LSU, leading the offense to a seven play scoring drive, culminating in a 12-yard touchdown rush up the middle by Derrick Davis Jr. to extend the lead to 56-7.
Quad Wilson picked off Jack Albers and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown, putting a bow on the 2022-23 season to secure the Citrus Bowl victory, 63-7.
ORLANDO – The entire story of Kentucky’s dramatic 20-17 come-from-behind victory over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day could be summed up in one stark image.
Minutes into a post-game press conference with coach Mark Stoops and offensive stalwarts Will Levis and Wan'Dale Robinson, in hobbled linebacker DeAndre Square.
Sporting crutches, barefoot, and still in uniform and pads, the linebacker who sealed the victory with a last-second interception made his way to the front of the room. The reverence from the three Kentucky alpha males at the table was palpable as Stoops excused himself from the room and Levis slid over a seat so that Square could ease into a chair.
Square wasn’t just the hero of the day. He is the epitome of Kentucky’s football program – gritty, determined, never-say-die.
Square, you see, was one of just a few linebackers available to Kentucky for the Citrus Bowl. Leading tackler Jacquez Jones was out as was standout freshman Trevin Wallace. D'Eryk Jackson, who just returned from ACL surgery, was forced into the starting lineup along with Square.
But then Square became injured, the linebacker corps was officially decimated, and Iowa came roaring back to take a 17-13 lead in the fourth quarter. All appeared lost.
“DeAndre got hurt, but he knew he couldn't come out,” Stoops said. “We were getting thin, and the way he played through that pain, I don't know how he did it. It just says a lot about this team.”
Square, in fact, was officially ruled out of action. Trainer Gabe Amponsah had taken his helmet. But then teammate Marquan McCall, UK’s massive nose guard, entered the picture.
“I was in a lot of pain still,” Square confessed, “but Marquan helped me out a lot. I was ruled out, and I was kind of debating on, I was like, okay. I am trying to wait for certain stuff to kick in. But Marquan grabbed me. He like yanked me and was like, ‘We need you.’ And then something clicked at that moment.
“I told Gabe to give me my helmet,” Square said. “He was like, ‘No, we got to see you run first.’ And when I ran I didn't feel any pain. I just could run, so I grabbed my helmet.”
Square needed just one play for a dose of reality.
“First play,” he said, “I was like, ‘No, this hurts.’”
He stayed in the game for a lot of reasons.
“It was a lot of emotion because I was ruled out. I wasn't even supposed to come back in,” Square said. “But coach Stoops had talked about doing something bigger than yourself, and all I could think about is my teammates. I saw the way the game was going, and I just felt like I needed to step in no matter how I was feeling. We got a lot of days of rest. I can rest up, so I didn't care.”
Throughout Square’s description, Levis was shaking his head in a combination of disbelief and pride.
“It takes a lot of heart to do something like that,” Levis said, voice cracking. “It is kind of like a storybook ending. He gets ruled out, goes back in there. To go back out there, not only just to play, but to get the game-stealing interception. You make an acrobatic play like that? Just a storybook ending. I am so happy for him and he deserves all the recognition.”
The question was posed: Who had the better catch, Square’s interception or Robinson’s diving grab on third-and-26? The offensive guys pointed at Square in unison.
“I was in coverage,” Square said. “Once I look back, I saw the running back, and I am like, ‘Oh, wow. If he catches it, I am going to have to make a tough tackle. I wasn't even looking at the ball, and I saw something flying and I am like, 'Whoa, there is the ball.’ I was like, ‘OK, do I just let it fall or am I close enough to catch it? I am like, I am close enough to catch it.’ So I just get under and it fit right in the pocket. I didn't have to do anything. It fit perfectly.”
A storybook ending indeed.
Peyton Ramsey threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score, and No. 14 Northwestern’s defense made it stand up in a 35-19 victory over Auburn in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl on Friday.
Ramsey, a graduate transfer, totaled 291 yards passing and 50 yards rushing for Northwestern (7-2), which won its fourth straight bowl game. Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Brown, John Raine and Riley Lees had touchdown catches for the Wildcats, who bounced back from an ugly loss to Ohio State on Dec. 19 in the Big 10 championship game.
Bo Nix threw for 292 yards for Auburn (6-5) but was often frustrated by Northwestern's defense, which came in allowing 15.5 points her game, ranked fifth in the nation. Auburn was led by interim coach Kevin Steele following the Dec. 13 firing of Gus Malzahn and was missing several key players.
The Tigers got within 14-13 when Nix hit Elijah Canion for a 57-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. But Ramsey responded with a 30-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
Linebacker Paddy Fisher, the nation’s active leader in tackles coming into the game, drilled Nix for no gain on fourth-and-1 on the second play of the fourth quarter. Cam Porter had seven carries on the ensuing drive, including a 1-yard plunge into the end zone that put Northwestern comfortably ahead 28-13. The Wildcats offense finished with 457 yards and 25 first downs.
