Mike Leach's Mississippi State players WILL play in bowl game despite uncertainty after his death

The grieving Mississippi State football players will face Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa on January 2 despite some uncertainty following the sudden death of head coach Mike Leach.

'The players are 100 percent behind playing this bowl game and doing what coach Leach would expect them to do,' interim athletic director Bracky Brett told ESPN. 'We all know that's what Coach Leach would want, and it's what we should do.'

A revolutionary football mind who helped popularize the Air Raid offense, Leach died Monday night following complications from a heart condition. He was 61, and in just his third year coaching the Bulldogs after successful stints with at Texas Tech and Washington State.

News that the Bulldogs planned to play the Illini on January 2 was first reported by longtime college football journalist Brett McMurphy. 

Some had questioned whether Mississippi State would bail on the bowl game, particularly after Virginia's decision to cancel the remainder of its football season following an on-campus shooting that claimed three players' lives. 

Leach had fallen ill at his Starkville, Mississippi home on Sunday and was later treated at a nearby hospital before being airlifted to University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, roughly 120 miles away.

The the Mississippi Clarion Ledger reported that he did not receive medical attention for 10 to 15 crucial minutes.  

EMTs used a defibrillator on the coach and delivered multiple shock to restore a regular heart rate. 

On Monday morning, the university's football team released a statement saying the much-loved and pioneering coach was in a critical condition. 

Following the tragic news, Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum said: 'Coach Mike Leach cast a tremendous shadow not just over Mississippi State University, but over the entire college football landscape. 

'His innovative ''Air Raid'' offense changed the game. Mike's keen intellect and unvarnished candor made him one of the nation's true coaching legends. His passing brings great sadness to our university, to the Southeastern Conference, and to all who loved college football. 

'I will miss Mike's profound curiosity, his honesty, and his wide-open approach to pursuing excellence in all things.

'Mike's death also underscores the fragility and uncertainty of our lives. Three weeks ago, Mike and I were together in the locker room celebrating a hard-fought victory in Oxford. 

'Mike Leach truly embraced life and lived in such a manner as to leave no regrets. That's a worthy legacy. May God bless the Leach family during these days and hours. The prayers of the Bulldog family go with them.' 

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who played as quarterback under Leach at Texas Tech, added Tuesday: 'There is no way I would be where I am today if not for Mike Leach and everything he taught me about the game.

'Truly one of the most innovative offensive minds in football, he was more than a coach. He was a mentor, a friend and one of the most special people I've ever met.

'My heart goes out to Sharon, the Leach family and everyone who had the privilege of knowing and loving him.