When Arkansas and Mississippi State met last season in Starkville, MS it was a fight to the bitter end. Arkansas managed to escape the madness with a 33-30 win in overtime. When the Bulldogs came to Little Rock on Saturday to face the red-hot Razorbacks, that thriller had long since been forgotten. The Hogs (10-1, 6-1) jumped out to fast start, driving 66 yards in 6 plays to score a touchdown less than 2 and a half minutes into the game. Mississippi State (5-6, 1-6) cut Arkansas's lead to 14-10 at the 12 minute mark of the 2nd quarter but it was all Razorbacks after that. The Hogs tacked on 30 unanswered points to take a commanding 44-10 lead with 3:20 left in the game. The Bulldogs managed to put it in the endzone one more time with 15 seconds left to narrow the final score slightly, 44-17.
Overall, the Hogs played their most complete game of the season. The offense was stellar as always. Prior to this game, the Bulldog defense was only allowing an average of 19 points per game. However, the really impressive aspect of Arkansas's game this week was the defense. Mississippi State scored an early field goal and scored their first touchdown only after a Tyler Wilson fumble was returned all the way to the 20 yard line. The final touchdown was scored on the backup defense. Even more impressive, the Hogs did not allow the Bulldogs to pick up a single first down in the 3rd quarter. Overall, the Hogs outgained the Bulldogs 539-211.
The Hogs now set their sights on #1 LSU in Baton Rouge on the Friday after Thanksgiving in what will almost surely be a battle between 2 of the top 3 teams in the newest BCS poll. LSU will almost lock up a spot in the national championship game with a win; however, it now looks likely that Arkansas could do the same.
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