Mississippi State wins bowl game on bizarre play that would have made Mike Leach proud

Mississippi State won the ReliaQuest Bowl 19-10 over Illinois in Tampa on Monday, and it was a perfect tribute to late coach Mike Leach.

While Leach wouldn’t have been happy with his team’s offensive struggles, he would have been proud of how his team fought til the end.

And, in fitting fashion, the final play of the game was absolutely bonkers. You just know Leach would have had a laugh at this lateral play by Illinois that led to a fumble-return touchdown for Mississippi State and sparked a brief scuffle on the field:

https://twitter.com/FTBeard7/status/1610009729820168193

Mississippi State wins, and a brief brawl breaks out pic.twitter.com/yNIYuIOvFA

— Matt Baker (@MBakerTBTimes) January 2, 2023

Mississippi State earned its 9th win of the season, while Illinois ends the year 8-5. It was Zach Arnett’s first win as the Bulldogs’ full-time head coach.

While it wasn’t the offensive outburst many would have expected, you know Leach would have appreciated the bizarre ending to Monday’s game in Tampa.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.