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.

24 Mississippi State rallied to beat Illinois 19-10 on Monday in the ReliaQuest Bowl in the Bulldogs' first game since coach Mike Leach's death. Will Rogers was 29 of 44 yards for 261 yards and one touchdown for Mississippi State (9-4, No. “Football isn’t always a pretty game," Rogers said. "I know Coach Leach would probably be a little upset at some of the decisions, but we fought hard and stayed together as a team. “A defensive battle that just really, probably, came down to who had the ball last,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema said.

Massimo Biscardi made a 27-yard tiebreaking field goal with four seconds left, Marcus Banks returned a fumble 60 yards for a touchdown on the game's last play and No. 24 Mississippi State rallied to beat Illinois 19-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Mississippi State lined up in a special formation to honor late head coach Mike Leach at the start of the ReliaQuest Bowl and then ended the game with a touchdown. Mississippi State broke a 10-10 tie with four seconds to go on a 27-yard field goal by Massimo Biscardi. Mississippi State went 8-4 in 2022 and was 19-17 in Leach’s three seasons with the school. Before coaching at MSU, Leach was the head coach at Washington State for eight years and was the coach at Texas Tech for 10 seasons. Mississippi State got the ball back after an Illinois punt with 1:47 to go and went 77 yards after Simeon Price ran 28 yards up the middle to the Illinois 2.

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.

— (AP) — Mississippi State coach Mike Leach admitted the Egg Bowl series with Ole Miss ranks among the nation’s elite rivalries in unpredictability. Ole Miss: Just over a month ago, the Rebels were 7-0, ranked No. 20 Ole Miss jeopardizes a 29-week streak of holding a slot in the AP Poll. Mississippi State received votes, but would need a considerable bump to pass eight other similar teams to break into the AP Poll. Ole Miss: Awaiting a bowl bid, marking 40 bowl appearances, the third consecutive under Kiffin.

Mississippi State (8-4, 4-4 SEC), which snapped a two-game losing streak in the series, rallied from a 16-7 deficit in the second quarter with a 10-point outburst in the fourth quarter. Ole Miss (8-4, 4-4 SEC) answered when Jaxson Dart threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Dayton Wade with 1:25 left, capping a 99-yard drive and closing within 24-22. After two Ole Miss timeouts to set up the 2-point try, a shuttle pass from Dart was batted down to preserve Mississippi State's the advantage. Ole Miss: Just over a month ago, the Rebels were 7-0, ranked No. 20 Ole Miss jeopardizes a 29-week streak of holding a slot in the AP Poll.

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.

22 Kentucky topped No. Rodriguez achieved season highs in yardage and carries (30) in his third game back from a suspension. THE TAKEAWAYMississippi State: The Bulldogs entered the game clicking in all phases and averaging over 40 points during their three-game winning streak. The ground game managed just 22 yards. Kentucky: The Wildcats looked more whole with Levis back and Rodriguez adding another solid performance.

Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushed for 196 yards and two second-half 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.

The strength of the Big 12 makes envisioning an undefeated season for either of these two teams ridiculously difficult. Big TenMichigan (6-0)Ohio State (6-0)Penn State (5-0)The winner of the Big Ten East will have the inside track to a playoff berth. The Pac-12’s playoff drought is well-known at this point and could easily extend through 2022. Here are the winners and losers of Week 6WINNERSTennessee: The Vols are for real. The Buckeyes trounced Michigan State 49-20 on Saturday to go into the bye week with a 6-0 record.

— (AP) — 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. Rogers was 31-of-48 passing for 395 yards and notched the record in the first quarter with the 922nd completion of his career, eclipsing the mark set by Georgia’s Aaron Murray in 52 games, Rogers has played in 28 games. Malik Hornsby was 8-of-17 passing for 234 yards in Jefferson’s absence, with one touchdown and two interceptions. MSU put the game away in the fourth quarter with back-to-back interceptions from Jackie Matthews and Emmanuel Forbes. UP NEXTMississippi State travels to Kentucky next Saturday.

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.

(AP Photo/Sam Craft) (Sam Craft)COLLEGE STATION, Texas — (AP) — Desperate for a boost after consecutive close losses, Mississippi State found a huge one by knocking off the 15th-ranked Texas A&M on Saturday night. Will Rogers threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns and Nathan Pickering sacked Zach Calzada in the end zone late for a safety in Mississippi State's 26-22 victory. Makai Polk had 13 receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns to help Mississippi State (3-2, 1-1) snap its two-game skid. Rogers found Jaden Walley for a 1-yard score later in the first to put Mississippi State on top 10-7. “You play every week to be a good football player, a good team and to win the game," Fisher said.

Will Rogers threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns and Nathan Pickering sacked Zach Calzada in the end zone late for a safety to lead Mississippi State to a 26-22 win over No. 15 Texas A&M 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.

Members of Tulsa and Mississippi State fight after time runs out in the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Jim Cowsert)FORT WORTH, Texas – A bowl victory that increased Mississippi State’s win total this season to four and No. 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.

A quick note to start: I want to apologize for an error in my column about Will Rogers. In November we celebrate the Pilgrims and the Indians getting together to eat turkey and smoke a peace pipe. When you are a child you have birthday parties, and then you have to wait until you are really, really old for people to recognize your birthday again. A Witch for HalloweenI am Morgan LefayA witch you might sayDo I frighten you all half to death? Or I'll spin and I'll tackAnd I'll jump on your backAnd give you a terrible fright.

If you want to write write. Rogers was not just an author, he was also a movie star, a stage star, a columnist, a rodeo star and a political satirist. I especially remember sitting on a large porch swing that hung from chains in the ceiling in the main room of his house in front of a huge stone fireplace. He started out his career as a rodeo star with his lasso tricks. How Congress knew anything about labor is beyond us.Will Rogers' World should be available at your local library.