Arkansas-Mississippi State position-by-position comparison
The Arkansas Razorbacks (2-5, 0-4 SEC) are set to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-3, 0-3 SEC) at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. CT.
First-year Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett has led the Bulldogs to a less-than-stellar start to the 2023 season with wins over Southeastern Louisiana (48-7), Arizona (31-24 OT) and Western Michigan (41-28). Their three losses were to LSU (41-14), South Carolina (37-30) and Alabama (40-17).
Head coach Sam Pittman got the Razorbacks off to a 2-0 start with wins over Western Carolina and Kent State, but they've lost five straight to BYU, LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Alabama.
Though the Razorbacks and Bulldogs face off every season, the transfer portal has made it more difficult to keep up with where the players you know are at.
For this reason, HawgBeat has you covered with a position-by-position breakdown between the two programs to see who has the advantage where...
Note: All players listed are starters or backups on each respective team depth chart.
Quarterback
Players:
Arkansas: KJ Jefferson - 6'3", 247 lbs.
124/188, 66.0%, 1,450 yards, 14 TDs, 6 INTs, 148.9 passer rating, 62 rushing yards, rushing TD
Mississippi State: Will Rogers - 6'2", 215 lbs. OR Mike Wright - 6'4", 195 lbs.
Rogers: 105/171, 61.4%, 1,275 YDS, 10 TDs, 4 INTs, 138.7 passer rating
Wright: 8/11, 72.7%, 61 YDS, TD, 20 ATT, 138 YDS, 3 TDs
After exiting the game against Western Michigan with an apparent shoulder injury, it's possible that starting quarterback Rogers won't play against Arkansas this weekend.
Former Vanderbilt quarterback Wright will likely take his place as a capable dual-threat playmaker. Wright has completed 192 passes for 2,128 yards and 22 touchdowns while adding 1,043 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground throughout his career.
Jefferson owns a higher overall grade (77.4), pass grade (75.4) and run grade (67.5) than Rogers, according to Pro Football Focus. Despite playing in an offensive system that isn't catered to his talents, the experienced signal caller still finds ways to make plays in crucial situations and is deserving of the pick here.
Pick: KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
Running backs
Players:
Arkansas: AJ Green/Rashod Dubinion/Dominique Johnson
Average Height/Weight: 5'11.25", 224 lbs.
120 ATT, 497 YDS, 3 TDs, 13 REC, 76 REC YDS, REC TD
Mississippi State: Jo'Quavious Marks - 5'10", 210 lbs.
80 ATT, 458 YDS, 4 TDs, 17 REC, 136 REC YDS,
Though Raheim Sanders is listed as RB1 on Arkansas' depth chart, Pittman stated on Monday that Sanders isn't going to play against Mississippi State this weekend, so he isn't listed here.
Green and Dubinion have done a solid job this season, but lack the overall ceiling that Sanders possesses. Johnson still isn't the same player he was when he led the Hogs in rushing yards during the 2021 season (575).
Much like their starting quarterback situation, the Bulldogs may potentially be without starting running back Marks this weekend after sustaining a leg injury against Western Michigan. Also Mississippi State's all-time receptions leader, Marks has high-caliber playmaking ability that the Bulldogs need if they want to pull of the victory.
Pick: Mississippi State (if healthy)
Wide receivers
Players:
Arkansas: Andrew Armstrong/Isaac TeSlaa/Tyrone Broden/Jaedon Wilson
Average Height/Weight: 6'4.5", 198 lbs.
73 REC, 896 YDS, 7 TDs
Mississippi State: Justin Robinson/Lideatrick Griffin/Zavion Thomas/Creed Whittemore
Average Height/Weight: 6'0", 194 lbs.
61 REC, 844 YDS, 5 TDs
Griffin and Armstrong are the top two wide receivers amongst both teams, as they lead the way in targets and overall PFF grade with an 82.1 and 77.1, respectively.
After that, there's a major dropoff in production and grade. Whittemore (63.5), Robinson (63.3) and Thomas (60.7) all rank higher than TeSlaa (59.1), Broden (56.3) and Wilson (56.1).
Neither of these groups have been particularly impressive this season on paper or on the field, so I'm going to give the edge to the team with the best player.
Pick: Mississippi State
Tight ends
Players:
Arkansas: Tyrus Washington - 6'4", 247 lbs.
8 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TDs
Mississippi State: Ryland Goede - 6'6", 260 lbs.
N/A
This pick is the easiest of the day, as Mississippi State rarely uses tight ends in their offensive game plan. A Georgia transfer, Goede hasn't recorded a catch for the Bulldogs.
On the other hand, Washington has emerged as a true go-to option for Jefferson and should have an expanded role in the second half of the season.
Pick: Arkansas
Offensive line
Players:
Arkansas: Andrew Chamblee/Brady Latham/Beaux Limmer/Joshua Braun/Patrick Kutas
Average Height/Weight: 6'5.5", 317 lbs.
Mississippi State: Kwatrivous Johnson/Nick Jones/Cole Smith/Steven Losoya III/Kameron Jones
Average Height/Weight: 6'4.5", 314 lbs.
Arkansas was better in pass block situations against Alabama last weekend, but still only managed a 54.1 grade according to PFF. Run block wasn't much better at 55.9. Neither of those metrics have graded out over a 70.0 since Week 2 against Kent State, so it's easy to see why the offensive line has struggled so much.
Mississippi State, however, has been much better overall with a 77.9 and 75.9 grade for pass and run block, respectively. The Bulldogs also allow just 2.33 sacks per game (14 total) while the Razorbacks allow 3.86 per game (27 total).
In terms of rushing offense, Mississippi State ranks 67th in the country with 152.8 yards per game, while Arkansas comes in at a measly 115th in the nation with 109.9 yards per game.
Until we see noticeable improvement, it's going to be tough for Arkansas to win an offensive line battle.
Pick: Mississippi State
Defensive line
Players:
Arkansas: Landon Jackson/Eric Gregory/Taurean Carter/Trajan Jeffcoat/John Morgan III/Keivie Rose/Cameron Ball/Zach Williams/Anthony Booker Jr.
Average Height/Weight: 6'4", 297 lbs.
109 TOT, 28 TFL, 14.5 SKS
Mississippi State: Deonte Anderson/Nathan Pickering/Jaden Crumedy/Jordan Davis/Eric Taylor/De'Monte Russell/Trevion Williams
Average Height/Weight: 6'4", 287 lbs.
88 TOT, 8.5 TFL, 4.5 SKS
Arkansas' defensive line was a big talking point during the offseason, and it's lived up to the chatter for the most part. Its 14.5 sacks contribute to a defense ranked 20th in the country and fifth in the SEC in total sacks. Jackson was named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his 11-tackle, 3.5-tackle for loss and 3.5-sack performance against Alabama and he is a pass-rush menace alongside fellow defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat.
Mississippi State is not devoid of talent in the trenches, but lacks the depth needed to last through an entire SEC game. Pickering (69.3) and Crumedy (64.3) are the Bulldogs' top defensive linemen and are more than capable at stopping the run, but lack in pressuring the quarterback.
Give me the unit with more explosiveness into opposing backfields.
Pick: Arkansas
Linebackers
Players:
Arkansas: Chris Paul Jr./Jaheim Thomas/Antonio Grier/Brad Spence
Average Height/Weight: 6'2", 235 lbs.
137 TOT, 10.5 TFL, 4.5 SKS, 2 INT
Mississippi State: Donterry Russell/Nathaniel Watson/Jett Johnson/DeShawn Page
Average Height/Weight: 6'2.5", 232 lbs.
157 TOT, 15.5 TFL, 11.5 SKS, 3 INT
While Arkansas' Thomas leads the SEC in total tackles with 69, Mississippi State's Johnson and Watson come in at second and third with 66 and 57 tackles, respectively. The two linebackers are likely the Bulldogs' best defensive players as they are in the mix on almost every play. On top of that, Johnson is third on the entire defense in overall PFF grade (77.1).
Thomas has been very good for the Hogs this year, as he's second on the defense in overall grade (76.7) and second in pass rush grade (87.8) right behind fellow linebacker Grier (90.9). Paul Jr., while good, hasn't had the breakout season many were hoping for after a Freshman All-SEC campaign.
This one is really close, but I've got to give the edge to the group with more SEC experience.
Pick: Mississippi State
Defensive backs
Players:
Arkansas: Lorando Johnson/Jaylon Braxton/Hudson Clark/Alfahiym Walcott/Jayden Johnson/Dwight McGlothern/Jaheim Singletary/Malik Chavis
Average Height/Weight: 6'1.5", 194 lbs.
132 TOT, 6 TFL, 15 PD, 5 INT, 2 FF
Mississippi State: Decamerion Richardson/Shawn Preston Jr./Corey Ellington/Marcus Banks/DeCarlos Nicholson/Brice Pollock/Isaac Smith
Average Height/Weight: 6'1.25", 197 lbs.
165 TOT, 5.5 TFL, 7 PD, 2 INT, 2 FF
I highly recommend watching the video clip above. In it, you'll see former Bowling Green and current Razorback wide receiver Broden catching a touchdown pass over Mississippi State defensive back Richardson.
That's kind of been the story for the Bulldogs' secondary this season. Richardson and Nicholson are solid options, but can't keep up with SEC teams No. 1 wide receivers on a consistent basis. The group ranks 112th in the country in passing yards allowed per game (263.5) and 74th in yards per completion (11.82).
Arkansas fares better in the secondary, as it ranks 54th in passing yards allowed per game (218.0) but 76th in yards per completion (11.73). However, there is a possibility that McGlothern will be on the sidelines against the Bulldogs as he's still recovering from a concussion sustained against Texas A&M in Week 5.
If McGlothern is out, I still trust Braxton, Johnson and Clark to get the job done.
Pick: Arkansas
Special teams
Players:
Arkansas: K Cam Little, P Max Fletcher, KR/PR Isaiah Sategna
Average Height/Weight: 6'2", 178 lbs.
22-22 XPA (100%), 11-12 FG (91.67%), 33 PUNTS, 1,599 YDS (48.5 AVG), PR TD
Mississippi State: K Kyle Ferrie, P Keelan Crimmins, KR Lideatrick Griffin, PR Zavion Thomas
Average Height/Weight: 6'.25", 198 lbs.
20-20 XPA (100%), 8-10 FG (80%), 18 punts, 764 YDS (42.4 AVG)
During a season in which the offense has struggled to do much for the Hogs, both Little and Fletcher have had plenty of opportunities to shine for the special teams unit.
Little has always been a good kicker, but the junior kicker has made an SEC-leading four field goals from 50+ yards out, including a career-long 56-yarder at Ole Miss. Fletcher has increased his average yards per punt to 48.5 yards from 37.5 last season.
Those two are clearly outpacing Mississippi State's duo, and when you add in Sategna's open-field playmaking ability, this becomes an easy choice.
Pick: Arkansas