2023 ReliaQuest Bowl

The 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 2, 2023, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The 37th annual ReliaQuest Bowl (previously known as the Outback Bowl from 1996 through 2022), the game featured the Mississippi State Bulldogs from the Southeastern Conference and the Illinois Fighting Illini from the Big Ten Conference. The game began at 12:03 p.m. EST[4] and was aired on ESPN2.[5] It was one of the 2022–23 bowl games concluding the 2022 FBS football season. Cybersecurity company ReliaQuest was the game's title sponsor.

2023 ReliaQuest Bowl
37th ReliaQuest Bowl
Mississippi State Bulldogs Illinois Fighting Illini
(8–4) (8–4)
SEC Big Ten
19 10
Head coach: 
Zach Arnett		 Head coach: 
Bret Bielema
APCoachesCFP
242322
1234 Total
Mississippi State 03016 19
Illinois 0730 10
DateJanuary 2, 2023
Season2022
StadiumRaymond James Stadium
LocationTampa, Florida
MVPJustin Robinson (WR, Mississippi State)[1]
FavoriteIllinois by 2
RefereeAdam Savoie (ACC)[2]
Attendance35,797
PayoutUS$6,400,000[3]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN2
AnnouncersDave Flemming (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst), and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline) (ESPN2)

Teams

Consistent with conference tie-ins, the game featured teams from the Big Ten Conference and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The bowl also has a tie-in with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) when the ACC's opponent in the Orange Bowl is a Big Ten team, in which case an ACC team is selected for the ReliaQuest Bowl.

This was the third meeting between the two teams; in their two prior matchups, Illinois won in 1923 and Mississippi State won in 1980.[6]

Mississippi State Bulldogs
Main article: 2022 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

Mississippi State compiled an 8–4 record during the regular season, finishing with a 24–22 win over rival Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. In five games against ranked opponents, the Bulldogs defeated Texas A&M and Ole Miss while losing to Kentucky, Alabama, and Georgia. The team was coached during the regular season by Mike Leach. Following Leach's death on December 12, Zach Arnett was elevated to head coach, including for the team's bowl game.

Illinois Fighting Illini
Main article: 2022 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Illinois finished the regular season with an 8–4 record, losing three of their final four games. Their only contest against a ranked FBS opponent was a loss to Michigan.

Game summary
2023 ReliaQuest Bowl
Period 1 2 34Total
No. 22 Mississippi State 0 3 01619
Illinois 0 7 3010

at Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, Florida

Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP Mississippi State Illinois
2 2:49 10 77 4:45 Illinois Tommy DeVito 2-yard touchdown run, Caleb Griffin kick good 0 7
2 0:09 8 55 2:40 Miss. State 38-yard field goal by Massimo Biscardi 3 7
3 6:57 11 45 5:13 Illinois 52-yard field goal by Caleb Griffin 3 10
4 14:54 13 75 7:03 Miss. State Justin Robinson 8-yard touchdown reception from Will Rogers, Massimo Biscardi kick good 10 10
4 0:04 9 68 1:46 Miss. State 27-yard field goal by Massimo Biscardi 13 10
4 0:00 Miss. State Fumble recovery returned 60 yards for touchdown by Marcus Banks, kick not attempted 19 10
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 19 10

Statistics

† Tommy DeVito's receiving yardage occurred on the final play of the game, following an initial pass from DeVito to Casey Washington. After several laterals, DeVito fumbled the ball, which was returned by Mississippi State for a touchdown. Statbroadcast credits DeVito with -47 receiving yards, while ESPN credits DeVito with 13 receiving yards.

See also

References
  1. "ReliaQuest Bowl MVP Justin Robinson". reliaquestbowl.com. ASAP Sports. January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  2. Austro, Ben (December 4, 2022). "2022–23 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  3. "2022 Bowl Schedule". College Football Poll. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  4. "2023 ReliaQuest Bowl Final Stats" (PDF). Statbroadcast. January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  5. "2022 College Football Bowl Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  6. "Winsipedia - Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Illinois Fighting Illini football series history games list". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.