First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Arkansas

STARKVILLE – Another Saturday in StarkVegas awaits as the Dawgs get set to battle the Hogs.

Mississippi State faces Arkansas at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium with both squads looking to bounce back after each dropped games to SEC foes a week ago. That much you probably know. But there are a few things you might not.

So, let's have a look at 10 items to be aware of headed into State's showdown against the Razorbacks:

Saturday's game against Arkansas will be the first time in over a month that Mississippi State has faced an opponent not ranked inside the Top 15 of the Associated Press poll. The Bulldogs' last three contests came against No. 1 Texas, No. 5 Georgia and No. 14 Texas A&M. MSU's last game against a non-Top-15 foe came way back on September 21 against Florida.
The Bulldogs are looking for a third consecutive win over the Razorbacks. Mississippi State has won each of the last two meetings, with MSU rolling to a 40-17 victory two years ago in Starkville ahead of a 7-3 triumph last season in Fayetteville. Overall, MSU has had a ton of recent success against Arkansas, winning nine of its last 12 matchups against the Hogs.
MSU will chase another victory over Arkansas behind the leadership of true freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr., who has been one of the SEC's top signal callers in recent weeks. Van Buren enters Saturday's action with six touchdown passes in October. That total leads the league for the month.
The play of Van Buren has given the Bulldogs one of the SEC's best passing attacks. MSU has averaged 274 passing yards per game this month, a mark that stands fourth in the conference for October.
In conference play, State is averaging 24 points per game. That's more than some of the SEC's top teams, including No. 18 Ole Miss (23.3 ppg), No. 7 Tennessee (21.5 ppg) and No. 21 Missouri (20.3 ppg).
On the defensive side for the Bulldogs, safety Isaac Smith continues to be a standout. Smith heads into action against the Razorbacks as the only SEC player averaging double-digit tackles per game this season (11.3). Smith has 68 total takedowns in 2024, a mark that is tied for the SEC lead and is 10th in the FBS.
Speaking of defense, one of the key figures to watch in Saturday's game is on the defensive line for the Razorbacks. As the Bulldog offense looks to continue its recent momentum, MSU will likely have to slow down Arkansas lineman Landon Jackson. Jackson, a preseason All-American, is the only Razorback defender since at least 1997 to have recorded two career games with eight or more tackles, three or more tackles for loss and two or more sacks.
There'll be a familiar face to Bulldog fans on the Arkansas sideline. Deke Adams is in his third season as defensive line coach for the Razorbacks. Adams, a native of Meridian, Mississippi, previously served as MSU's defensive line coach during the 2019 season.
On the flip side, a current Bulldog coach is no stranger to the Razorbacks. MSU offensive line coach Cody Kennedy was in the same role at Arkansas from 2021 through 2023 before coming to Starkville and joining head coach Jeff Lebby's staff ahead of this season.
Following Saturday's game, Mississippi State can flip the page to November, which looks to be another month filled with Top-25 competition. Currently, all but one of MSU's November foes are ranked. The lone exception is next week's Nov. 2 homecoming contest against UMass.

Mississippi State University Athletics

First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Arkansas

Related News

Players Mentioned

Isaac Smith

Michael Van Buren Jr.

Related Videos