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.
Justin Robinson #18 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs make a 12-yard reception for a first down in the first quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on January 02, 2023 in Tampa, Florida.
Rogers was 29-of-44 with 261 passing yards, a touchdown pass and two interceptions. He also engineered a nine-play, 68-yard drive to set up Massimo Biscardi’s go-ahead 27-yard field goal with 4 seconds left to give Mississippi State the lead.IOWA STAR'S GRANDFATHER KILLED IN VEHICLE-PEDESTRIAN INCIDENT BEFORE MUSIC CITY BOWL
"It’s been tough. Coach and I were so close and to lose a coach like that, a friend like that, it hurt me for a really long time. It will continue to hurt, but to be able to come out here with this group of guys, my brothers, I can’t say enough about this team and this university," Rogers said. Nathaniel Watson #14, Will Rogers III #2, and Jett Johnson #44 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs wave a Mike flag in memory of Mike Leach after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini 19-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on January 02, 2023 in Tampa, Florida.
"I definitely wanted to win this game for coach. I think we all did. I think if we would have come out here and really lost the game, I don’t think Coach would have been to happy with it. It says a lot about our team and a lot about these individuals and coaches that we were able to stick together and come out with nine wins.
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