Mississippi State honors Mike Leach ahead of ReliaQuest Bowl

The Mississippi State Bulldogs will play its first game following the passing of head coach Mike Leach on Monday.

College Football bowl season resumes Monday following a day off for the New Year’s Day holiday, with the most popular bowl of the day beginning at 11 a.m. CT.

All eyes will be in Tampa, Florida, as the Mississippi State Bulldogs face the Illinois Fighting Illini in the ReliaQuest Bowl, the game formerly known as the Outback Bowl. It will mark the first game for the Bulldogs since the passing of its head coach, Mike Leach.

Leach was a beloved figure not only in Starkville but around the SEC and College Football. In addition to being a founder of the Air Raid offense, he was also known for his humor and his love for people. Because of this, Mississippi State and the ReliaQuest Bowl are honoring him in several ways ahead of Monday’s game.

Mississippi State announced early Monday that they would honor the coach known as “The Pirate” with a special helmet decal.

The grounds crew at Raymond James Stadium also honored Leach by painting a logo on the field at the 25-yard line corresponding with the Mississippi State endzone. The “Famous Maroon Band” also paid homage to Leach during their pregame performance:

Mississippi State players elected to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl following Leach’s death on Dec. 12 in a way to honor Leach. Mississippi State interim athletic director Bucky Brett told ESPN’s Chris Low last month that β€œthe players are 100 percent behind playing this bowl game and doing what coach Leach would expect them to do.”

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