FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Mississippi State will try to snap a four-game losing streak when it hits the road for an SEC showdown Saturday with Arkansas, which is on a five-game losing skid. The Bulldogs are completing a stretch of four of their last five games on the road, including last week's 49-30 loss at Texas A&M, while the Razorbacks are coming off back-to-back losses to No. 12 Auburn and No. 1 Alabama by a combined 99-17.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network. LINE: Mississippi State -7.5
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Mississippi State put up a solid offensive showing against the Aggies with running back Kylin Hill going for 150 yards and a score on the ground to reclaim the SEC rushing lead with 793 yards and six touchdowns on the season. True freshman Garrett Shrader had a career-high three touchdown passes in his third career start as he looks to be the Bulldogs' quarterback of the present and future. The Razorbacks will be happy to see something other than a ranked team across the line of scrimmage from them in this one, though they're still looking for their first conference win. Running back Rakeem Boyd has been the main offensive weapon for coach Chad Morris, leading the team with 706 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (3-5, 1-4 SEC)
The team’s initial goal this week is to score a touchdown in the first quarter, something it hasn’t done since the second game of the season against Southern Mississippi. Also, the Bulldogs haven’t scored in the opening period of their last three contests, trailing by seven, three and 14 after 15 minutes. Getting on top is a key to winning for Mississippi State, which hasn’t trailed in its three wins but has led only once in its five losses.
ABOUT ARKANSAS (2-6, 0-5)
There is a growing call for Morris to make a change and use John Stephen Jones as the full-time quarterback going forward. Jones, a redshirt freshman, is listed as the third quarterback on the club’s depth chart, behind Nick Starkel and Ben Hicks, but Jones showed his potential when he got in the game against Alabama last week. Of the Razorbacks’ 213 yards against the Crimson Tide, 154 of them came with Jones on the field, including the team’s only scoring drive - an 85-yarder that resulted in a touchdown.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Mississippi State WR Isaiah Zuber had his first two touchdown catches as a Bulldog last week after transferring from Kansas State this past offseason.
2. Boyd has accumulated 99-plus all-purpose yards in six games this season, including a career-high 55 receiving yards along with 50 rushing yards last week against Alabama.
3. Mississippi State has won six of the last seven meetings, with four of the six victories decided in the final minute.
PREDICTION: Mississippi State 31, Arkansas 20