WILL ROGERS

Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers was emotional after he led the Bulldogs to a victory on the heels of the death of coach Mike Leach.

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.

Mississippi State is set to play Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday and will be playing with heavy hearts after the death of coach Mike Leach.

Here's everything you need to know about Tulane-USC, from the point spread, moneyline, total Over/Under and expert pick from Sam Panayotovich.

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.

Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach is listed in critical condition at a hospital in Jackson.

Will Rogers passed for two touchdowns and Mississippi State stopped a potential game-tying 2-point conversion with 1:25 remaining to preserve a 24-22 Egg Bowl win over No. 20 Mississippi.

Stetson Bennett threw for three touchdowns and No. 1 Georgia overcame a first-half surge by Mississippi State for a 45-19 victory.

Oregon’s Bo Nix and Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman became the fourth and fifth Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks to throw for five touchdowns in multiple games this season.

Bryce Young passed for 249 yards and two touchdowns and No. 6 Alabama’s defense continued its domination of No. 24 Mississippi State in a 30-6 victory.

Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushed for 196 yards and two fourth-quarter scores, Will Levis returned from a one-game absence to throw a go-ahead touchdown pass and No. 22 Kentucky topped No. 16 Mississippi State 27-17.

Will Rogers threw for three touchdowns and broke the Southeastern Conference record for career completions, Dillon Johnson rushed for 100 yards and two scores, and No. 23 Mississippi State beat Arkansas 40-17.

California freshman Jaydn Ott turned in the best rushing performance of the season with 274 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 carries against Arizona.

Snoop Conner ran for two touchdowns and No. 8 Mississippi scored 21 straight points to beat Mississippi State 31-21 on Thursday night in a windy, rainy and cold Egg Bowl.

Bryce Young threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns and No. 5 Alabama rebounded from a loss to rout Mississippi State 49-9 on Saturday night.

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.

(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.