Mississippi St beats Illinois in 1st game since Leach death
Massimo Biscardi made a 27-yard tiebreaking field goal with four seconds left and Marcus Banks returned a fumble 60 yards for a touchdown on the game’s last play as No. 24 Mississippi State rallied to beat Illinois 19-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
No. 24 Mississippi State faces Illinois with heavy hearts
Mississippi State players and staff felt they knew what Mike Leach would want them to do following the Dec. 12 death of the Bulldogs coach due to complications from a heart condition: play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois. “It has been expressed and they understand that we are doing exactly what Coach Leach would want of us,” said Zach Arnett, who was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach three days after the death. “And that is to finish this season off, to stay focused on the game, to put in the work and prepare," Arnett added.
news.yahoo.comLeague vows review after wild brawl erupts between Mississippi State and Tulsa at end of Armed Forces Bowl
The commissioner of the American Athletic Conference promised to "conduct a thorough review" after a wild brawl broke out between Tulsa and Mississippi State players Thursday shortly after the Armed Forces Bowl ended. A massive brawl broke out at the end of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl between Tulsa and Mississippi State. pic.twitter.com/Ft90Ld3avu — John E. Hoover (@johnehoover) December 31, 2020"I'm not sure what exactly caused that," said Mississippi State coach Mike Leach, who referred to the altercation as a "mosh pit." Mississippi State answered with Rogers' 13-yard throw to Griffin to go ahead 28-19. During the brawl, Mississippi State's De'Monte Russell, in street clothes beneath his jersey, ripped the helmet off Tulsa's TieNeal Martin and appeared to land a punch to Martin's head.
cbsnews.comBrawl mars Mississippi State’s Armed Forces win over Tulsa
(AP Photo/Jim Cowsert)FORT WORTH, Texas – A bowl victory that increased Mississippi State’s win total this season to four and No. Tulsa outgained Mississippi State in total offense 484 yards to 271, but the Bulldogs got 138 valuable kickoff return yards from Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin. Mississippi State answered with Rogers’ 13-yard throw to Griffin to go ahead 28-19. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs played in their school-record 11th consecutive bowl thanks to pandemic qualification exemptions. Mississippi State: For all of Leach’s Air Raid offenses at various stops, Rogers was his first true freshman quarterback.
No. 11 Texas A&M beats Mississippi State 28-14
11 Aggies beat Mississippi State 28-14 on Saturday. Mississippi State (1-3) had little offensive rhythm for the third straight game. Mississippi State had minus-2 yards rushing and just 217 yards of total offense. THE TAKEAWAYThe Aggies continue to put points on the board, scoring 28 or more points for the second straight week. Meanwhile, Leach’s maiden voyage in Starkville continues to take on water in a second straight home loss.