With the toughest stretch of the schedule behind them, Arkansas will take on Mississippi State this weekend. The Bulldogs are 3-5 on the season while the Razorbacks are 2-6.
Mississippi State’s best game this season was their victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. The Bulldogs outscored the Wildcats 28-13 to secure their only conference win this year. Their success ground to a halt after that victory and they're currently in a four-game skid with loses to LSU, Tennessee, Auburn and A&M.
“Mississippi State comes in as a team that’s much better than their record,” Head Coach Chad Morris said Monday. “They’ve got one of the best running attacks in the SEC.”
The Bulldogs run a RPO offense, but have proved better at running the ball than passing it. Their rushing offense ranks fifth in the SEC compared to their passing offense at 12th. Arkansas ranks 13th and seventh respectively.
Running back Kylin Hill holds lead back duties for the Bulldogs. He’s rushed for 793 yards and 6 touchdowns this season. That's good enough to not only lead the team but also the whole conference in rushing. The junior has averaged 5.1 yards per carry and also has caught nine passes for 67 yards.
“He’s hard to tackle in the open space,” Arkansas junior linebacker Hayden Henry said. “He runs hard, he runs hard in between the tackles, and that’s kind of their guy and he’s a really good football player.”
True freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader leads the Bulldogs passing attack with 1022 passing yards on the year. He’s completed 55.1% of his attempts with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He is also second in rushing for the Bulldogs, running for 504 yards and three touchdowns this season. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Shrader has the size and athleticism to be a key player in the SEC.
“They're gonna run the quarterback, this kid does a really good job running,” Defensive Coordinator John Chavis said. “He will be difficult to handle as well as the rest of their running game.”
The Mississippi State offensive line hasn't done a great job keeping their quarterbacks clean. They've allowed 22 sacks, which puts them nearly the bottom of all FBS teams. Putting pressure on Shrader should go a long way if they're stopping the run and forcing him to throw.
After losing a lot of talent to the NFL Draft in 2018, the Bulldog defense is young. The talent loss is evident in the numbers. Last year, State's total defense ranked first in the SEC, now they rank 10th in the SEC in total defense.
“They’ve got a great scheme," Offensive Coordinator Joe Craddock said. “They pressure the quarterback. It’s kind of like a Coach Chavis defense, they bring pressure from everywhere a lot, so we are going to have to be ready for that.”
Junior Erroll Thompson leads Mississippi’s defense. The preseason All-SEC linebacker from Florence, Alabama has posted 55 total tackles and one fumble recovery this season.
Mississippi State dominated the Razorbacks 52-6 down in Starkville last year, so the Razorbacks don’t need much to be motivated for the matchup this weekend.
“To come back and play in front of our home crowd Saturday afternoon, that’s motivating enough,” Morris said. “Then you look at Mississippi State, and we traveled down there last year and it didn’t go as planned. So I think these guys are going to be motivated to get back in here to get better and continue to build.”
Kickoff is this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in Donald W. Reynolds stadium.
