Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

No. 16 South Carolina (9-3) vs. No. 20 Illinois (9-3)

2 p.m. CST Tuesday (ABC)

Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida

0 Victories for Illinois in six games against SEC opponents. The Illini lost to Florida 14-0 on Sept. 23, 1967, Mississippi State 28-21 on Oct. 4, 1980, Alabama 21-15 in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 29, 1982, Florida 14-10 in the All-American Bowl on Dec. 29, 1988, LSU 47-34 in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2002, and Mississippi State 19-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 2, 2023.

0 Previous games between South Carolina and Illinois.

2 Interceptions have been returned for touchdowns by South Carolina CB Nick Emmanwori this season. He was among the five players in the nation with two pick-sixes in 2024 entering the bowl season. Emmanwori has four interceptions this season.

2 Games against South Carolina for Illinois coach Bret Bielema while he was the coach at Arkansas. The Razorbacks lost in SEC games to the Gamecocks 52-7 in 2013 and 48-22 in 2017.

3 Players in the nation this season have at least 2,200 passing yards, 650 rushing yards and 150 passing-efficiency rating, including South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers, along with Alabama QB Jalen Milroe and Washington State QB John Mateer. Sellers has completed 172-of-265 passes for 2,274 yards with 17 TDs and seven interceptions and run for 655 yards and seven TDs on 155 carries.

3 Previous appearances in the Citrus Bowl for South Carolina. The Gamecocks lost to Miami (Ohio) 20-7 on Dec. 20, 1975, and defeated Nebraska 30-13 on Jan. 2, 2012, and Wisconsin 34-24 on Jan. 1, 2014. Illinois defeated Virginia 31-21 on Jan. 1, 1990, in its only Citrus Bowl appearance.

3 TD passes for Illinois QB Luke Altmyer in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime this season to win games. The Illini trailed in the fourth quarter of four of their nine victories but rallied to defeat Kansas, Nebraska, Purdue and Rutgers.

4 Consecutive victories for South Carolina against Big Ten opponents. The Gamecocks are 8-4 against Big Ten opponents, with the past eight meetings coming in bowls. South Carolina’s most recent game against a Big Ten member came in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, 2018, when the Gamecocks defeated Michigan 26-19. South Carolina’s most recent loss to a Big Ten opponent came in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, 2009, when the Gamecocks fell to Iowa 31-10.

4 Illinois seasons have featured 10 victories. The Illini would tie the school record with a victory in the Citrus Bowl. Illinois had 10-win seasons in 1902, 1983, 1989 and 2001.

5 South Carolina players have won the SEC Freshman of the Year Award with QB LaNorris Sellers joining the list in 2024. Sellers followed QB Steve Taneyhill in 1992, DB Ko Simpson in 2004, RB Marcus Lattimore in 2010 and DE Jadeveon Clowney in 2011 as the Gamecocks’ winners.

5 Players in the nation have 21 or more TD passes and five or fewer interceptions this season, including Illinois QB Luke Altmyer. In 2024, Altmyer has completed 198-of-325 passes for 2,543 yards with 21 TDs and five TDs.

6 Consecutive victories for South Carolina, the longest active winning streak in the SEC. The Gamecocks haven’t lost since a 27-25 setback against Alabama on Oct. 12. South Carolina hasn’t won seven games in a row since the Gamecocks won the final four games of the 2011 season and the first six games of the 2012 season. South Carolina most recently won seven games in a row in a single season in 1984, when the Gamecocks opened the campaign 9-0.

8 South Carolina opponents have been ranked in The Associated Press poll when playing the Gamecocks this season. With Illinois at No. 21 in the AP Poll, South Carolina will set a school record for ranked opponents in a single season. The Gamecocks faced seven ranked opponents in 2010. South Carolina has a 4-3 record against teams ranked in the AP Poll this season. The Gamecocks had never beaten more than three ranked opponents in a season until 2024.

10 Victories and 15 losses for South Carolina in bowls. The Gamecocks lost to Notre Dame 45-38 in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 30, 2022, in their most recent bowl appearance. South Carolina’s most recent bowl victory is a 38-21 win over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30, 2021. The Gamecocks lost their first eight bowl appearances.

11.5 Sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss were recorded by South Carolina DE Kyle Kennard in the 2024 season as he won the Nagurski Award as the nation’s best defensive player. But Kennard will not play in the Citrus Bowl.

13 Years since Illinois won a bowl. The Illini defeated UCLA 20-14 in the Fight Hunger Bowl on Dec. 31, 2011. Illinois has lost its three bowl appearances since – 35-18 to Louisiana Tech in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Dec. 26, 2014, 35-20 to California in the Redbox Bowl on Dec. 30, 2019, and 19-10 to Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 2, 2023 – to drop its bowl record to 8-12.

25 Victories, 14 losses and one tie for SEC teams in the Citrus Bowl and its predecessors — the Tangerine Bowl, Florida Citrus Bowl and Capital One Bowl. Big Ten teams have a 13-19 record in the game. The SEC has a 20-11 record when playing a Big Ten opponent in the game, with Tennessee beating Iowa 35-0 in last season’s game.

27 Fumbles for South Carolina’s opponents this season, the most in the nation entering the bowl season. The Gamecocks have recovered nine of the fumbles.

200 Completions apiece for Illinois and South Carolina this season. The Gamecocks have thrown 307 passes and have 2,644 passing yards, 20 TD passes and seven interceptions. The Illini have thrown 331 passes and have 2,572 passing yards, 21 TD passes and five interceptions.

226 Yards and two TDs on 63 rushing attempts this season for Oscar Adaway, who is the most productive running back on South Carolina’s roster after Raheim Sanders opted out of the Citrus Bowl. Sanders ran for 881 yards and 11 TDs this season. Illinois’ top running backs are Adian Laughery, who has 522 yards and four TDs on 81 carries, and Josh McCray, who had 495 yards and eight TDs on 104 carries.

613 Yards and three TDs on 51 receptions in 2024 for WR Zakhari Franklin, who is Illinois’ leading receiver entering the Citrus Bowl after WR Pat Bryant opted out. Bryant had 54 receptions for 984 yards and 10 TDs this season. South Carolina’s leading receiver is WR Joshua Simon with 34 receptions for 450 yards and six TDs.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.