Josh McCray seals Illini Victory in Citrus Bowl; wins MVP

Junior running back, Josh McCray, was named MVP of the Citrus Bowl in what was an exciting 21-17 win for Illinois. McCray rushed 13 times for 114 yards, including two tough running touchdowns and a 60 yard-rush to seal the victory. In clutch time, Josh McCray continued to get tough first downs to help the Illini extend their drive. It was certainly a highlight game for the Enterprise, Alabama native as he has had a healthy and productive season. McCray was the first recruit to commit to Bret Bielema at Illinois and burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2021.

The future of the room looked to be McCray’s hands as former star running back, Chase Brown, was at the tail end of his Illini career. However, the past two years for McCray were unfortunately cut short by injury

Never buckling down

Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

Many times in college athletics, athletes face major adversity and never truly recover. Josh McCray could have done the same. In addition to season ending injuries, McCray was in a deep room featuring four-star running backs, Kaden Feagin, Aidan Laughery, and Ca’lil Valentine. McCray could have easily transferred. However, Bielema continues to credits Josh’s humility and willingness to work through all the adversity. In the end, the Junior running back will finish with 8 touchdowns on the year. Not to mention, he had some great runs to help seal victories and a one-handed snag vs Nebraska. No one can predict what happens next year as the running back room will certainly be deep.

Regardless, Josh McCray’s story and MVP game in the most entertaining Illini game of the year is one to never forget. McCray is truly the living picture of what it means to be “Tough,Smart,Dependable”.

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