TAMPA, Fla. — The 24th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs rallied in the fourth quarter as Massimo Biscardi kicked a 27-yard field goal with four seconds left and Marcus Banks returned a fumble 60 yards for a touchdown on the game’s final play to beat the Illinois Fighting Illini 19-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday.
It was a fitting tribute to Mike Leach, who died on Dec. 12 due to complications from a heart condition. Leach had been the head coach of the Bulldogs for three seasons before his passing.
The band spelled out "Leach" while playing the theme to "Pirates of the Caribbean" and gave a moment of silence before the game and the Bulldogs wore a pirate logo on their helmets instead of their normal school logo. Ironically enough, the game was played at Raymond James Stadium, which has a pirate ship in the stadium.
Will Rogers went 29 of 44 yards for 261 yards and one touchdown for Mississippi State (9-4, No. 22 CFP). Simeon Price ran for 68 yards on seven attempts, including a pivotal 28-yard dash on the Bulldogs' go-ahead fourth-quarter drive.
Mississippi State, whose offense averaged 32.7 points during the regular season, was kept out of the end zone until the first play of the fourth quarter, when Rogers delivered an eight-yard scoring toss to Justin Robinson to tie the game at 10.
Robinson had seven receptions for 81 yards.
Banks’ score came after llinois attempted a frantic last play featuring five laterals. There was a scrum between the two squads as the game ended, but order was restored shortly after it started.
Tommy DeVito completed 23 of 34 passes for 253 yards for Illinois (8-5). Isaiah Williams finished with 114 yards on nine catches for the Illini.
Illinois, whose defense lead the nation with 24 interceptions in the regular season, added to their total by picking off Rogers twice by Matthew Bailey and Kendall Smith.
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