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CHAMPAIGN — A day after Bret Bielema learned Illinois would be matched up against Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 2 in Tampa, he started texting with Mike Leach.
A day after that, they gabbed on the phone for half an hour.
These weren’t just colleagues and counterparts, after all. Bielema and Leach were old pals from the coaching road.
“It was the Mike Leach conversation I’ve always had,” Bielema said.
They talked about football and their teams.