The 2022 ReliaQuest Bowl features the 8-4 No.22 Mississippi State Bulldogs the 8-4 Illinois Fighting Illini. Here is the 2022 ReliaQuest Bowl preview.
Mississippi State had a solid season capped off with an Egg Bowl win and a top 25 ranking to finish the season. They had wins over four bowl eligible teams with the most impressive win coming on the road against Ole Miss. None of the losses were bad with all four coming to bowl eligible teams. They lost to each SEC division winner, Alabama and Kentucky on the road.
The Bulldogs averaged 32.7 points per game which ranked 35th. The pass heavy offense averaged 314.3 yards per game (ranked 8th) and just 78.8 yards on the ground (ranked 130th).
There are a handful of opt outs that will likely impact the Bulldogs in some manner. In the backfield, Dillon Johnson has opted out. He split time with Jo’quavious Marks. At receiver there are several opt outs but Rara Thomas is the main one. Thomas had 44 catches and led the team with 626 yards. They’re very deep at receiver though and should shoulder it okay. It’ll be the usual air raid, pass heavy offense and Will Rodgers has run it well this year. The junior threw for 3,713 yards 34 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Mississippi State gave up 24.17 points per game which ranks 51st. They allow 206.8 yards per game through the air (ranked 35th) and 143.6 yards on the ground (ranked 55th). Collin Duncan declared for the draft but hasn’t stated whether he played or not. It’s a significant loss if he doesn’t. He’s fourth on the team in tackles and also has two sacks, an interception and two forced fumbles. If the Illini do much in the pass game they’ll need to steer clear of Emmanuel Forbes. The junior had 10 defended passes and six interceptions, three – yes three – of which he returned for touchdowns.
Illinois started the season very strong and struggled at the end. They recorded four wins against bowl eligble teams including Wyoming, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. They lost three in a row towards the end of the season including a heart breaker at Michigan and a bad showing against Michigan State. They spent several weeks ranked in the middle of the season.
Illinois averaged 25.4 points per game which ranked 83rd. They passed for 208.3 yards per game (ranked 95th) and ran for 178.3 yards (ranked 48th).
The offense took a big hit with runningback Chase Brown’s opt out. Brown ran for 1,643 yards and 10 touchdowns. Reggie Love III will take over behind him but has much less experience. He ran 59 times for just 277 yards. Quarterback Tommy DeVito won’t wow anybody with big plays but he managed the offense and was efficient with a 69.9% completion percentage, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions.
The Illinois defense was the best in the country in points allowed per game with 12.25. They allowed just 165.4 yards through the air per game (ranked 5th) and 98.4 on the ground (ranked 9th). The outstanding defense will be without two very significant pieces in the secondary in Devon Witherspoon and Sydney Brown. Both were 1st Team All-B1G and are NFL Draft picks. Defensive Coordinator Ryan Walters also accepted the Purdue head coaching job. The defense will still be very good, but it’s definite cause for concern against a primarily passing offense.
There weren’t many teams to challenge the Illinois defense this year in a down year for the B1G West. With big pieces missing in the secondary, look for Mississippi State’s air raid to exploit that and get the edge. Add in the loss of the primary force behind Illinois’s offense and it doesn’t look good for the Illini.
Mississippi State 21 Illinois 16
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