GAMEDAY: Dawgs vs. Hogs

STARKVILLE - Following back-to-back wins over Vanderbilt and Kentucky, Mississippi State now faces Arkansas on the road, looking for a third victory in a row.

The Bulldogs and Razorbacks are set for a 3 p.m. CT kickoff on Saturday. The game will be televised by SEC Network with Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), and Cole Cubelic (reporter) on the call. Fans can also listen for free on HailState.com/plus.

Mississippi State's Storylines vs. Arkansas

State picked up its second ranked win of the season last week, defeating then-No. 12 Kentucky. Mike Leach has now defeated four AP-ranked teams which is tied for fourth-most among all MSU head coaches and is the most in a Bulldog head coach's first 19 games.
When including NC State's No. 22 ranking in the coaches poll, MSU is the only team in the nation with three wins over teams that were ranked in the top 25 of either poll.
MSU joins No. 1 Georgia and No. 7 Oregon as the only teams with multiple victories over teams currently ranked inside the AP Top 25.
State is one of three teams in the nation that has defeated three bowl-eligible opponents already this season along with Miami (Fla.) and Boise State.
Last week against No. 12 Kentucky, State ran the ball 35 times, their highest total under Leach and the fourth-highest total of any Leach-coached team. MSU scored multiple rushing touchdowns in a game for the fifth time under Leach.
The Bulldog defense has held consecutive SEC opponents to fewer than 50 total plays. That marks just the third time since 2000 that an SEC team has held conference opponents to fewer than 50 plays in consecutive weeks. Kentucky did so in 2019, and LSU did so in 2011.
MSU posted a season-high passing grade (88.0) last week against the Wildcats and boasts the country's No. 16 passing grade (85.1).
QB Will Rogers broke the SEC and MSU single-game completion percentage records against No. 12 Kentucky, connecting on 92.3 percent (36-of-39) of his attempts. He came one attempt shy of the minimum to qualify for the FBS record.
State's win against Kentucky came after trailing, 7-0, at the end of the first quarter. It was the Bulldogs' first win under Leach when trailing after the first and snapped a 14-game losing streak in such games.
QB Will Rogers is the NCAA active career leader in completions per game (33.3) and completion percentage (72.5), and he ranks sixth among active players in total offense per game for his career (280.0).
State's 332 completions trail only its 373 completions last fall for the MSU single-season record. The Bulldogs have also completed passes to 14 different receivers with seven of those catching a touchdown this fall.
WR Makai Polk (603) has joined Justin Jenkins (761 in 2003) as the only two Bulldogs to eclipse 600 receiving yards before State's ninth game since 2000.
RB Jo'quavious Marks is second on the team with 58 receptions, which leads all FBS running backs and is tied for 11th overall. He is two receptions away from tying his school record for the most catches by a running back in a single season and is tied for eighth in MSU history with 118 career catches.
Mississippi State is one of two schools in the nation (Virginia) with multiple players who have made 50-plus receptions this season (Polk, 63 and Marks, 58). Only nine schools have multiple 40-catch receivers, and of those only MSU, Virginia and Western Kentucky have three or more players with 40 receptions.
MSU possessed the ball for a season-high 41:10 against No. 12 Kentucky, it's highest total under Leach and highest since holding the ball for 41:53 against Arkansas on Nov. 17, 2018. State ranks sixth nationally in time of possession, averaging 35:07 per game, which leads the SEC.
Freshmen and sophomores have scored 23 of State's 28 touchdowns. When including QB Will Rogers' passing scores, underclassmen have been responsible for 42 touchdowns.
The Bulldogs lead the nation in yards after catch in 2021 (1,646) and have the highest YAC/game total (205.8).
MSU leads the SEC and ranks fourth in the nation in total plays against, allowing opponents just 456 snaps this season. State has allowed just 113 first downs this year, which is second in the SEC and fifth in the nation. The Bulldogs' 40 rushing first downs allowed are tied for fourth in the FBS.
CB Emmanuel Forbes is the SEC's active career leader in interceptions (8) and is tied for the FBS lead since the start of the 2020 season. Forbes is fourth in the FBS in career interception return yards (216) and the active national leader in career interceptions per game (0.42).

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Players Mentioned

Emmanuel Forbes

Jo'Quavious Marks

Makai Polk

Will Rogers

Mississippi State University Athletics