A crazy brawl broke out between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Illinois Fighting Illini following Monday’s ReliaQuest Bowl game.
The Bulldogs defeated the Fighting Illini 19-10 to capture the ReliaQuest Bowl. The game turned nasty on the final play, however, after the Bulldogs recovered the football on the final play to seal the game.
Mississippi State led Illinois 13-10 with only three seconds remaining. The Fighting Illini took over at their own 29-yard line with only three seconds left, and they needed a miracle to win.
Quarterback Tommy DeVito completed a pass to Casey Washington, who then started a lateral sequence. Illinois’ ReliaQuest Bowl hopes ended when Marcus Banks of the Bulldogs recovered the loose football.
Banks took the ball to the house for six more points to put a nice finishing touch on the Bulldogs’ season. During the play, you can see a clip below of an Illinois player delivering an unnecessary cheap blindside hit to a Bulldogs player. Tempers flared, and a massive brawl ensued:
The Bulldogs were playing this game with heavy hearts. On Dec. 12, beloved head coach Mike Leach passed away at the age of 61 from complications of a heart issue. Leach began coaching Mississippi State in 2020.
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He coached the Bulldogs to an Armed Forces Bowl victory over Tulsa in 2020, and to a Liberty Bowl appearance in 2021. With the win on Monday, the Bulldogs clinched themselves a second Bowl Bowl in three years.
