iStockphoto
Illinois bettors were hit with possibly the worst bead of the bowl season. After leading the entire game, the Illini saw a tie game turn into a nine-point loss on the final two plays of the ball game.
Now, we’ve seen a few bad beats over this year’s bowl game schedule. Most notably, Arkansas blew a 35-point second half lead to miss covering the spread by 0.5 points.
Minnesota bettors also got bad news when Syracuse beat the spread in the final minutes of action. But Mississippi State’s improbable cover in the waning seconds of the ReliaQuest Bowl might just take the cake.
The Fighting Illini entered the game as 3.5-point underdogs. Up until the final play, that line looked as safe as can be. Illinois led the entire way, taking a 7-0 first half lead and never looking back.
The game went into the fourth quarter with the team still holding that seven-point advantage, but a monumental collapse led backers to be in shambles.
Mississippi State tied the game at 10-10 early in the final frame. They then drove the field to kick a go-ahead field goal with just four seconds left to play. Again, despite the apparent loss, the win against the spread was still intact.
But as happens on final last gasp efforts, a scoop and score by the Bulldogs pushed the difference to nine points. Cover blown.
IT'S A MIRACLE COVER FOR MISSISSIPPI STATE (-3.5) 🤯 pic.twitter.com/mKAIMuGeDJ
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) January 2, 2023
The impossibly bad beat led many bettors to post reactions online. Here’s what they had to say.
One notable sports betting account wrote, “ILLINOIS (+3.5) WITH A CONTENDER FOR BAD BEAT OF THE YEAR ON JANUARY 2ND.” Another person commented, “An all-time bad beat for Illinois.”
While it was the perfect send off for Mississippi State in its first game without Mike Leach, it’s just the latest awful beat in what’s been an exciting bowl season. The absolute worst way to kick off the New Year.