Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Barry Werner

Mississippi State delivers gut-punch bad beat to Illinois backers

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.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.