It is only January 2 and there already is a brutal bad beat for the backers of Illinois.
The Fighting Illini saw Mississippi State go ahead 13-10 on a short field goal with seconds left in the Reliaquest Bowl.
So, if you were getting anywhere from 3-4 points — depending on where you engage in such activities — you were confident in Illinois.
Until …
The Illini attempted to win the game by taking a page from Stanford-Cal, decades ago.
And here we go:
The last lateral winds up with Marcus Banks, who returns it 60 yards for a touchdown and a 13-10 game turns into a 19-10 victory for the Bulldogs or a loss on many levels for fans of Illinois.
1st & 10 at ILL 29
(0:00 – 4th) Tommy DeVito pass complete to Casey Washington for 16 yds, lateral to Isaiah Williams for no gain, lateral to Tip Reiman for 1 yd, lateral to Casey Washington for 1 yd lateral to Tommy DeVito for 13 yds, Tommy DeVito fumbled, recovered by MisSt Marcus Banks, return for 60 yds for a TD.
MISSISSIPPI STATE WINS IT FOR MIKE LEACH! THEY END THE GAME WITH A SCOOP N SCORE!! #RipMikeLeach 🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/wIBDyIi1jP
— 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 @𝗙𝗧𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱𝟳 (@FTBeard7) January 2, 2023
MISSISSIPPI STATE TAKES THE LEAD WITH 4 SECONDS LEFT! 🏴☠️🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/rzpinKbJfs
— 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 @𝗙𝗧𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱𝟳 (@FTBeard7) January 2, 2023
Look at this flop by Will Rogers 🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/gVnuDxg64E
— 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 @𝗙𝗧𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱𝟳 (@FTBeard7) January 2, 2023
