After winning on the road against Kentucky, No. 1 Mississippi State returns home to take on SEC foe Arkansas (4-4, 0-4). Here are a look at some of the key statistics in the matchup.

THE GOOD

  • 4.6. Arkansas is a team that can run over lesser opponents, as they’ve done all season, but they haven’t had quite as much success against SEC foes. The Razorbacks boast a 5.9 yards per carry average over the entire season, but that drops to 4.6 against SEC opponents.
  • 199. Most teams are able to take advantage of Mississippi State through the air, but Arkansas is not going to be one of those teams. The Razorbacks pick up just 199 yards per game through the air, and don’t have any real receiving threats except for Keon Hatcher. Brandon Allen is a capable quarterback, but he’s not going to pick the Bulldogs secondary apart.
  • 0. Bret Bielema, in a season and a half at Arkansas, has yet to record an SEC win. Take that as good or bad, as the team is desperate for a victory in the conference, but Arkansas is three-quarters of the way to going 0-16 in the conference over two seasons.

THE BAD

  • 19. The Razorbacks’ top two running backs, Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins, have a combined 19 scores on the ground. Mississippi State has been stingy in that regard, only giving up four rushing scores on the season, but Arkansas will present their greatest test yet.
  • 4. Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott has been remarkable all season, but he’s tossed 3 interceptions over the last two games. Luckily, Arkansas’ defense isn’t all that opportunistic, with only 5 interceptions this season, but if Dak keeps missing throws it’ll come back to bite him.
  • 38. Mississippi State has been pretty solid on third down this year, converting more than 43 percent of their attempts, but Arkansas has limited opponents to 38 percent on conversions. Prescott and Josh Robinson will have to grind out the short-yardage situations to keep drives alive against an underrated Razorbacks defense.