In a back-and-forth battle for bowl eligibility, it was Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson engineering the final touchdown drive and the Razorbacks outlasted Mississippi State 31-28 at Razorback Stadium.

The Hogs went 75 yards in 10 plays and Dominique Johnson scored the game-winner on a 4-yard run with 21 seconds left in the game. Johnson added the 2-point conversion run for good measure.

MSU drove into field goal position, but missed its 3rd field goal of the game on its final play.

Arkansas is 6-3 overall and 2-3 in SEC play, bowl eligible for the first time since 2016.

Mississippi State (5-4, 3-3) erased a 13-0 deficit, taking its first lead of the game on a methodical 13-play, 66-yard drive to open the second half, taking 6:36 off the 3rd-quarter clock. After a slow start, Bulldog quarterback Will Rogers picked it up in the 2nd half, completing 8 of 9 passes on the drive, including a 6-yard touchdown pass to Rara Thomas and Mississippi State forged a 14-13 advantage.

That lead was short-lived. Arkansas regained the edge on its ensuing drive, going 42 yards in 10 plays to set up a career-long 51-yard field goal from Cam Little. It was Little’s 2nd career-long FG of the game. This one put the Hogs in front again, 16-14. They tacked on with a 9-play, 72-yard drive and took a 23-14 lead in the 1st minute of the 4th quarter on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Jefferson to Treylon Burks, who came into the game leading the SEC in receiving yards.

But the Bulldogs weren’t done. They answered immediately with Rogers finishing off a 7-play, 75-yard scoring drive. His 2nd TD pass to Thomas, this one a 37-yarder, cut the Hogs’ lead to 23-21. Then after Little missed a 42-yard attempt, the Bulldogs walked through the open door. Rogers directed a 9-play, 76-yard drive, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jo’quavious Marks and Mississippi State forged ahead, 27-23 with 2:22 remaining in the game.

Arkansas grabbed a 10-0 lead before Mississippi State gained its initial first down.

The Bulldogs didn’t move the chains until late in the 1st quarter. It happened simultaneously with the first pass completion of the game from Rogers, who came into the game the active career leader in completions per game average (33.3). Rogers entered the contest having already broken the school record for completions in a season (327).

Cam Little booted a 46-yard field goal to open the scoring for Arkansas before Dominique Johnson capped a 7-play, 52-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run and the Razorbacks enjoyed a 10-point advantage with 3:56 to play in the 1st quarter.

The Bulldogs came up empty on their 1st real drive of the game. An 11-play, 57-yard drive went for naught when a Brandon Ruiz chip shot field goal attempt sailed wide. He missed again late in the 3rd quarter that could have given Mississippi State the lead.

Little showed him how it’s done, completing Arkansas’ subsequent drive (9 plays, 50 yards) with, at the time, a career-long 48-yard field goal to extend the Hogs’ lead to 13-0.

The Bulldogs did not convert on a 3rd down play until the final 2 minutes of the 1st half. They were 0-4 against an Arkansas defense that started the game as the SEC leader and 4th-best nationally, allowing the opposition to convert just 27.9 percent of the time.

Mississippi State scored in the final seconds of the first half after a controversial play. The Hogs had apparently kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard with interception of a tipped pass in the end zone. But pass interference was called nullifying the pick and giving Mississippi State point blank range to put points on the board.

The Bulldogs reached the end zone with 7 seconds to play in the first half, cutting the Hogs’ lead to 13-7, on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Rogers to Jaden Walley, who now has TD catches in 5 different games this season.