Mississippi State played Illinois at Monday’s ReliaQuest Bowl with coach Mike Leach in mind and emerged victorious 19-10 to close the book of a roller-coaster year.
The Bulldogs beat Illinois 16-0 in the fourth quarter and propelled them to victory. Will Rogers had an 8-yard touchdown pass to Justin Robinson and Marcus Banks returned a botched lateral for a touchdown to seal the deal in the final seconds.
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Justin Robinson #18 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs gives a 12 yard reception for a first down in the first quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on January 02, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Rogers was 29 of 44 with 261 passing yards, a touchdown pass and two interceptions. He also engineered a nine-play 68-yard drive to set up Massimo Biscardi’s 27-yard field goal by 4 seconds to put Mississippi State ahead.
The quarterback was emotional as he explained what the win meant.
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“It was tough. The coach and I were so close and losing a coach like that, such a friend, hurt me for a very long time. It’s going to continue to hurt, but to be able to come out of here with this group of guys, my brothers , I can’t say enough about this team and this university,” Rogers said.
Nathaniel Watson #14, Will Rogers III #2 and Jett Johnson #44 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs wave a Mike flag in memory of Mike Leach after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini 19-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium January 2nd , 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
“I definitely wanted to win that game for the manager. I think we all did. I think if we had come out of here and really lost the game, I don’t think the manager would have been happy about it. It says a lot about our team and a lot about these people and coaches that we were able to stick together and win nine times.”
Robinson finished with seven catches for 81 yards in the win.
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Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers (2) throws a deep pass during the ReliaQuest Bowl college football game against Illinois Fighting Illini at Raymond James Stadium on January 2, 2023 in Tampa FL. (Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Mississippi State hit nine wins for the first time since 2017.
Ryan Gaydos is Sports Editor at Fox News Digital.