Mississippi State must rely on Dak Prescott versus Arkansas
By Dave Holcomb
Published:
Mississippi State (7-3, 3-3 SEC) has been eliminated from the SEC West division race. Still, the Bulldogs have a chance at making history.
Mississippi State has never won 10 games in back-to-back seasons. But the Bulldogs will if they win out, beginning with a victory Saturday against Arkansas (6-4, 4-2 SEC).
The Bulldogs need to re-establish their potent passing attack. Quarterback Dak Prescott had his worst game of the season last Saturday against Alabama. The Crimson Tide sacked Prescott nine times and picked him off once.
But the Arkansas defense is nowhere as good as Alabama’s. The Razorbacks are dead last in the SEC and ranked 114th in the country against the pass. A big part of the problem is the lack of a pass rush. The Razorbacks have just 13 sacks all season, tied for last in the conference.
If Mississippi State can protect Prescott, he should pick apart the Arkansas pass defense.
However, it might not be easy to slow down the Razorbacks offense. Arkansas has averaged 50.3 points and 523.3 offensive yards while winning its last four games.
Mississippi State ranks 19th in the country with 18.6 points allowed per game, but the Bulldogs yield an average of 377 yards per game, 48th in the nation.
Arkansas’ playmakers could give Mississippi State trouble. The Bulldogs offense may need a big night to keep their hopes of another 10-win season alive.
ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS CLOSER LOOK
Key Player, offense: Alex Collins, Jr., RB – The key element of the Arkansas offense, Collins has 1,209 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per attempt.
Key Player, offense: Brandon Allen, Sr., QB – Allen has emerged as one of the best passers in the SEC. He has already set new career-highs with 2,617 passing yards and 22 TDs. He also has an impressive 64.4 completion percentage.
Key Player, offense: Drew Morgan, Jr., WR – The Razorbacks’ top receiver has 45 catches for 639 yards and nine TDs.
Dave covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
