ESPN report: Mississippi State to play in ReliaQuest Bowl vs Illinois in Mike Leach's honor

One of the immediate questions after the death of Mississippi State coach Mike Leach was whether the Bulldogs would play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois Jan. 2. Their interim athletic director answered that question Tuesday.

Bracky Brett, who’s serving as MSU’s interim athletic director after John Cohen left for Auburn, told ESPN’s Chris Low the Bulldogs plan to play in the game after Leach’s sudden passing. He was taken to the hospital Sunday after what was later revealed to be a massive heart attack and passed away Monday night, the school announced Tuesday.

“The players are 100 percent behind playing this bowl game and doing what coach Leach would expect them to do,” Brett told Low.

Mississippi State went 8-4 during the regular season to lock up a spot in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The game kicks off Jan. 2 at noon ET on ESPN2.

Leach, 61, leaves behind quite a legacy in college football, which is evident by the amount of coaches who worked under him and had success at other programs. Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, TCU’s Sonny Dykes and USC’s Lincoln Riley are just some of the many coaches to work for Leach and go on to become big-name head coaches.

The “Air Raid” offense is another big part of Leach’s impact on college football as he spread the offense out and put plenty of pressure on opposing defenses. Will Rogers was one of the many quarterbacks to thrive in the system, totaling 8,452 yards and 70 touchdowns over the last two seasons while helping Mississippi State to a 15-10 record in that time.

Rogers joined the chorus of tributes to Leach after Mississippi State announced his death Tuesday morning with a heartfelt one of his own.

“I was in 1st grade when Graham threw the ball to Crabtree against Texas,” Rogers tweeted. “Thank you for giving me a chance as a 17 year old. From Wazzu, to Mississippi State I will never forget everything you taught me and the relationship we had. I will see you again someday coach.”

During his 21 years as a head coach at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State, Leach totaled a 158-107 record and only missed out on a bowl game twice.