Maroon and White Nation
Fansided

Mississippi State bowl game history: Every bowl game the Bulldogs have played in

By Ethan Lee

TAMPA, FLORIDA - JANUARY 02: Nathaniel Watson #14, Will Rogers III #2, and Jett Johnson #44 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs wave a Mike flag in memory of Mike Leach after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini 19-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on January 02, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - JANUARY 02: Nathaniel Watson #14, Will Rogers III #2, and Jett Johnson #44 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs wave a Mike flag in memory of Mike Leach after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini 19-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on January 02, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
25 of 27
Next
Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers (2) leads his team on to the field
Dec 31, 2020; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers (2) leads his team on to the field before the game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

2020 Armed Forces Bowl: Mike Leach leads MSU Bulldogs to beat Tulsa Golden Hurricane

2020 was a weird year for everyone and that’s certainly true for the Mississippi State football team. The Bulldogs were able to lure then Washington State Cougars head coach Mike Leach away from Pullman and to the SEC and Starkville.

And while the 2020 Mississippi State football season was chaotic, it did end on a dramatic (but thrilling) high note for Leach and the Bulldogs.

This game in and of itself was pretty chaotic, to be completely honest. With MSU led by true freshman quarterback Will Rogers, the Bulldogs found that the offense wasn’t exactly 100 percent operational just yet.

Things weren’t perfect for MSU.

Rogers threw for a ton of yards, but he also lobbed up two interceptions. And that gave Tulsa the opportunity to create some headaches for the Bulldogs.

But, on December 31, 2020 in Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, Mike Leach was able to end his first season as the head coach of the Mississippi State football team with a 28-26 win in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Again, things were far from perfect. This was a sloppy contest. MSU committed seven penalties for 66 penalty yards and Tulsa committed 11 penalties for 102 penalty yards. And then there was a postgame brawl.

It was a weird and chaotic game that helped end a weird and chaotic year.

Home/Mississippi State Football