Mississippi State Football: Three Players to Watch as the Bulldogs Face Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl

These Bulldogs could have a huge impact on the outcome of this year's ReliaQuest Bowl.

Mississippi State survived a tough football season and will face Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 2 to end the year.

Nearly all Bulldogs are expected to suit up for the game, even a few that have already declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. They will look to honor former coach Mike Leach's memory during the game under new head coach Zach Arnett. Leach passed away on Dec. 12 due to complications from a heart issue.

The postseason matchup will be unlike any bowl game Mississippi State has played in a long time: filled with intense emotion and many players looking to leave one last mark on the program.

Here are three Bulldogs to watch as the program takes on the Fighting Illini on Monday morning.

1. CB Emmanuel Forbes

Forbes declared for the NFL Draft in early December, but the MSU standout recently shared that he will be suiting up for the Bulldogs one last time. The defensive back has had an incredible season, notching six interceptions, 39 tackles and 15 passes defended on the year. Three of those picks were taken to the house for touchdowns, making him the FBS record-holder for career pick-sixes with six total. Forbes can look to make one final impact against an Illinois offense that should rely heavily on quarterback Tommy DeVito and his passing abilities: star running back Chase Brown has opted out of the contest.

2. WR Caleb Ducking

Ducking started the 2022 season off hot before cooling off just a bit. The redshirt senior wideout finished the year with 44 receptions for 467 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns, seven of which came through his first six games. Although Ducking made contributions in each of the Bulldogs' 12 contests, the program saw the most success when he was able to put up big numbers. The task won't be easy, but he certainly has a chance to have an incredible final outing against a Fighting Illini squad that will be without talented defensive backs Devon Witherspoon and Sydney Brown.

3. QB Will Rogers

Rogers has served as the Bulldogs' leading signal-caller for nearly three years now, but it's hard to imagine that many games will mean more to him than the upcoming ReliaQuest Bowl. The Air Raid quarterback will be playing in memory of storied coach Leach and looks to end an up-and-down 2022 season on a high note. In the regular season, Rogers completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 3,713 yards with 34 touchdowns and just six interceptions. A handful of defensive opt-outs for Illinois could help the Bulldogs offensively, but Rogers must feel confident in his own abilities if he wants to lead the team to its ninth win.