No. 22 Mississippi And the Illinois Get 2023 started for college football fans Monday in Tampa, Florida, when they meet at the ReliaQuest Bowl. Or, as you might call it, The Bowl formerly known as the Outback. Sadly, while the Blankets are meant to be a celebration of the season’s accomplishments, there is a sad tone surrounding this game as it will be the first game Mississippi State has played since the tragic and unexpected death of head coach Mike Leach. Leach passed away at the age of 61 on December 12, less than three weeks after the Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 24-22 victory over the opposition Bulldogs. Ole Miss in the egg bowl.
There was some consideration of canceling the game, but the team decided that playing it would be what Coach Leach wanted. After all, the game is played on a field with a pirate ship.
Zach Arnett will be at the helm, having been named as Leitch’s replacement. He has been the team’s defensive coordinator since the 2020 season. The Bulldogs face an Illinois team led by second-year head coach Brett Bielema, who led the Illini to their best regular season record since the 2007 season that saw the team reach the Rose Bowl. Illinois started the year 7-1, reaching #14 in the AP Top 25, but lost three of their last four games. However, they almost changed the course of the college football game by almost beating it Michigan on the road before the Wolverines used a last-second field goal to escape with a 19-17 win.
Illinois vs. Mississippi: Need to know
Will Rogers Became Mississippi’s Leading Passer: Rogers has been the SEC’s most prolific passer this season. He leads the league with 3,713 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, and seven games of at least 300 yards. He also became the leading passer in Bulldogs history this season, surpassing the 9,376-yard mark previously set by Dak Prescott. Rogers enters the final game of the season with 10,428 passing yards as a Bulldog.
First Illinois bowl appearance since 2019: The Illini had an impressive turnaround under Bielema. The program has only gone to one bowl game in five seasons under Lovie Smith, losing the 2019 Redbox Bowl to Cal. The appearance was the team’s first trip to a bowl game since the 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl, which was the team’s only bowl game in three seasons under Tim Beckman. This is not a team that goes to the dishes often! In fact, if they return to the bowl next season, it will be the first time Illinois has gone to the bowls in back-to-back seasons since 2010-11. Won 2011 Fight Hunger Bowl University of California It is also the last time Illinois won a bowl game.
Airstrike against one of the best pass defenses in the country: Styles make battles, and this game provides a great clash of styles. No team in the country has thrown the ball more often than Mississippi State, which has averaged 49.1 pass attempts per game. The Air Raid offense Mike Leach made famous and helped change the sport (both at the college and NFL level) will be put to the test in this game. The Illinois defense ranks first nationally in defensive pass efficiency at 89.77. It was the second best team in the country Pennsylvania state at 104.01. Illinois intercepted nearly three times as many passes (22) as it allowed touchdowns (8).
How to watch the ReliaQuest Bowl live stream
Date: Monday, January 2 | time: 12 p.m. ET
location: Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, Florida
television: ESPN2 | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
ReliaQuest Bowl Prediction, Picks
Featured game | Illinois Fighting Illini vs Mississippi Bulldogs
Opt-out always plays a major role in dishes, and there is an important role in this game. Rara Thomas led Mississippi State with 626 receiving yards this season and caught seven touchdowns, but moved on to Georgia. Meanwhile, Illinois would be without leading contestant and Doak Walker Award finalist Chase Brown, as well as two pivotal members of her high school in Devon Witherspoon and Sidney Brown. Also, Illinois Defensive Coordinator Ryan Walters left to take the head coaching position at the Illinois Nationals Bordeaux. I don’t have a good read on who will win this game, but the one constant in Illinois games all season has been the low scores. Let’s stick to that. Prediction: Less than 46
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