Fayetteville, Ark. – Mississippi State’s defense was an adventure throughout the first half of the 2023 season, but after resetting during the bye week, they looked like the Zach Arnett defenses of the past to help lead the Bulldogs to a 7-3 win over Arkansas.
The Bulldog defense held Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson to only 97 passing yards and sacked him four times while the Razorbacks rushed for 103 yards on just 2.8 yards per carry. The only Razorback points came on their first drive after Mike Wright, who started in place of the injured Will Rogers, was intercepted by Arkansas defensive back Alfahiym Walcott on his first passing attempt.
The Vanderbilt transfer Wright completed 8/12 passes for 85 yards in his first start in the maroon and white, and added 60 rushing yards on 11 carries. The Bulldog running backs struggled to get anything going, however, as senior Jo’quavious Marks led the group with 42 yards on 17 carries while battling an injury throughout the game.
Mississippi State had an opportunity to get on the board early as an explosive 26-yard run by Wright helped get them across midfield. Marks’ 3rd and 1 shotgun run was stuffed and the Bulldogs opted to punt from the 49-yard-line instead of trying to keep the drive alive.
The Bulldogs put together their best drive of the game together at the start of the 2nd quarter, going 69 yards on nine plays. A 16-yard run by Wright with an extra 15 yards on a tripping penalty got them up field and a 12-yard pass in the flat to Zavion Thomas set up a 2-yard touchdown pass from Wright to Marks.
Arnett’s defense brought some pressure against Jefferson as linebacker Bookie Watson and safety Corey Ellington got home for sacks to kill drives in the first half. The Bulldog defense stayed strong up front to begin the second half, stopping a Jefferson QB sneak on 4th and 1.
Arkansas later drove into Mississippi State territory but was forced to punt and pinned the Bulldogs on the one-yard line. With his back against the wall, Wright delivered a strike to Justin Robinson for a 30-yard gain. The Bulldogs weren’t able to get anything out of it, but in a game full of punts, defensive field position became just as important as points.
The pressure kept coming from Mississippi State’s defensive backs with cornerback Decamerion Richardson sacking Jefferson on 2nd down. On the next play, Bulldog safety Shawn Preston picked off a Jefferson pass to give the Bulldogs some comfort early in the fourth quarter.
Mississippi State was extremely fortunate they didn’t give the game away on its next drive. The Bulldogs went for it on 4th and 1, and a bad snap allowed the Razorbacks to scoop it up and return it for six, but a false start on Zavion Thomas nullified the play and allowed them to punt it away.
Watson killed the Razorbacks next drive with his second sack of the game to give him 7.5 on the season. The Bulldogs were forced to punt for a fourth time in the second half, but they got the ball back in Arkansas territory with 2:17 to play after forcing a Jefferson incompletion in fourth down.
The Bulldogs seemingly put the game away with a turnover on downs, but a missed 29-yard field goal by freshman Kyle Ferrie gave the Razorbacks some life. Arkansas got to midfield on a 19-yard reception by Andrew Armstrong, but Preston remained lock down in the Bulldog secondary, knocking down Jefferson’s Hail Mary attempt on the final play.
Mississippi State improves to 4-3 on the season and nabs its first SEC victory under Arnett. They’ll be on the road again next week at Auburn, who is still searching for its first SEC win under Hugh Freeze.
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