Unfortunately for Arkansas, the Razorbacks will have to wait another week for that first SEC victory. The Hogs were so close yet again, but couldn’t extend the game with a late touchdown against No. 1 ranked Mississippi State.

Arkansas is now 4-5 overall and 0-5 in the SEC.

Here are the five biggest takeaways from last night’s game.

  • Brandon Allen showed serious poise — For a quarterback that many didn’t think much of entering the season, Brandon Allen looked impressive during the crucial moments of the game. His stat line won’t reflect it — 238 passing yards and one interception — but Allen’s huge throws on Arkansas’ final drive of the game were impressive. He completed five passes on either third down or fourth down during Arkansas’ fourth-quarter drives, including a 4th and 16 on the Hogs’ final drive to extend the comeback attempt.
  • Offensive playcalling lacking in important situations — Playcalling continues to be an issue during crucial situations for the Hogs. Last night, the Razorbacks had four opportunities to score from MSU’s nine-yard line and failed to do so. Down 17-10, Arkansas was in a great position to put an incredible amount of pressure on Mississippi State late and tie the game. Hunter Henry caught a pass at MSU’s three-yard line, but the Hogs couldn’t punch it in and were stuffed on their next three rushing plays.
  • Bielema still winless in the SEC — Following a good start to the season, Arkansas turned a lot of heads after a dominating road win against Texas Tech and a close loss to then top-10 ranked Texas A&M. Unfortunately, the Razorbacks have been unable to turn that improvement into tangible conference wins this season. Despite the obvious improvement, Bret Bielema and his players won’t be able to shake the can’t win in the SEC stigma until they finally close out a conference game.
  • Arkansas can compete with anyone — Put aside the “can’t win” issue for a moment. Arkansas has proven week in and week out that it can compete with anyone in the SEC. That certainly couldn’t be said last season for the Hogs, and while the record might look similar at the end of the season, the Razorbacks look much different on the field.
  • This season isn’t a disappointment — Of course Razorback fans would love to win a conference game or two this season, but 2014 was never a year many Arkansas faithful envisioned as the comeback season. The obvious on-field improvement is a significant step forward, but next season is the year Arkansas should make even bigger strides. Bielema can get away with not winning much this season, but next year will be a much different story.