2014 Arkansas vs Mississippi State

The No. 1 Mississippi State Bulldogs played host to the Arkansas Razorbacks in their first ever home game as the nation’s No. 1 team, and the Hogs nearly ruined the party in Starkville with an upset win.

Instead, Dak Prescott found a wide open Fred Ross for a 69-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, giving Mississippi State a 17-10 lead it would never relinquish. The Razorbacks drove late and appeared destined to score a game-tying touchdown, but Will Redmond made a critical interception in the end zone to seal a 17-10 MSU victory to improve the Bulldogs to 8-0 on the season.

Prescott accounted for 392 total yards, including 331 through the air in his first career 300-yard passing game. The Bulldogs’ star quarterback overcame two early interceptions to complete 67 percent of his passes, and he added 61 yards on the ground in the victory.

Tailback Josh Robinson, the SEC’s leading rusher entering the game, amassed just 64 yards on the ground at 3.4 yards per carry, far and away his worst numbers of 2014. However, Robinson did lead the team with six catches for 110 yards.

The Bulldogs’ defense held Arkansas, the SEC’s best rushing offense, to just 163 yards on 38 carries. The Hogs possessed the ball 17 minutes longer than Mississippi State and committed one turnover to MSU’s three, yet it wasn’t enough to secure an upset victory. The loss dropped Arkansas to 13 straight SEC losses to begin Bret Bielema’s tenure in Fayetteville, and it dropped the program to 17 straight SEC losses overall dating back to 2012.