Backs to the wall, bombarded with rumors about Coach Houston Nutt’s future, Arkansas had to be happy to see Mississippi State on Saturday. The Razorbacks had never lost to Mississippi State in Arkansas. They still haven’t. Arkansas shrugged off the distractions and slugged the Bulldogs with a home-run hitting passing attack and five takeaways to snatch a key 45-31 victory in front of 55, 185 fans at War Memorial Stadium. Arkansas (7-4 overall, 3-4 SEC ) gave itself a more secure bowl position as one of seven conference schools with seven victories. “No question about it, we’re going to a bowl,” Nutt said. “We’re going to a good bowl.” Mississippi State (6-5, 3-4 ), which had won road games at Auburn and Kentucky this season and entered on a two-game roll, dropped to 0-7-1 in the state of Arkansas. The Bulldogs will need a victory at home against Ole Miss on Friday to firm up their bowl standing.

“We had too many missed assignments and too many turnovers to beat a good football team on the road,” Mississippi State Coach Sylvester Croom said. “That’s really what it came down to.”

Arkansas, which scored 45 points Saturday, has 428 for the season and needs 9 points to break the school scoring record set in 2003. Nutt was greeted by two Liberty Bowl officials after emerging from his postgame news conference. The Liberty Bowl was one of four bowls represented at the game. The Hogs are high on the Memphis-based bowl’s radar, and they could play their way higher into the postseason, perhaps even into the Cotton Bowl, with an upset at No. 1-ranked LSU on Friday.

Casey Dick had four touchdown passes, a career high, and Darren Mc-Fadden threw one scoring pass and caught another as Arkansas won its ninth consecutive game against the Bulldogs.

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Nutt was unhappy with the lack of physicality the Razorbacks showed in last week’s loss at Tennessee, so he handed out miniature wooden bats to symbolize “bringing the wood” for what was expected to be a rugged game.

“We went out there and all the players bought into what Coach Nutt told us,” McFadden said. “Everybody went out there and played with great passion.”

Robert Johnson, a former quarterback, had his first two-touchdown game as a Razorbacks receiver, grabbing a 35-yard score from Dick in the second period, then hauling in a 24-yard pass from McFadden on a WildHog play in the fourth quarter.

McFadden also scored on a big play, a 57-yard touchdown after catching a short pass in the third period. Those big plays, plus Arkansas’ 5-0 victory in the turnover battle, were all needed to hold off a Mississippi State attack that piled up 501 yards, a season-high against the Hogs.

Nutt said the turnover margin was particularly important.

“That saved the game because [I ] got scared the way they were scoring so quickly,” Nutt said.

Arkansas used a five-man defensive front to neutralize Mississippi State’s strong ground game and held the Bulldogs to 80 rushing yards.

So, Mississippi State took to the air. Freshman Wesley Carroll passed for a career-high 421 yards and four touchdowns to keep his club in contention. But he also threw four interceptions, one each to Matt Hewitt, Kevin Woods, Antwain Robinson and Michael Grant.

Robinson returned his interception for a 30-yard touchdown with 6: 48 remaining in the game to drive the final stake in the Bulldogs.

“It was just an awesome play,” Robinson said. “The guy had cut me at first, and I jumped off the ground and missed one before that. Then on the next one, I just caught it and concentrated on it and I saw [Carroll ] was trying to tackle me, so I had to use the L 1 button to try to get past him.”

Mississippi State jumped ahead with a time-crunching 15-play, 80-yard touchdown drive with its second possession. Carroll connected with Jamayel Smith from 4 yards out to get the score. Smith finished the game with 10 catches for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Arkansas took control with a 24-point second quarter.

Alex Tejada kicked a 39-yard field goal on the first play of the second period, then fullback Farod Jackson, a product of Mills High School in Little Rock, scored the first touchdown of his career on a 30-yard pass in the flats.

A few minutes later, Dick threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Johnson on the first play after Jerell Norton’s 11-yard punt return. Johnson ran past cornerback Anthony Johnson on play action for the deep scoring pass.

Croom elected to take a 15-yard personal foul penalty against Arkansas tight end Andrew Davie late in the first half instead of giving the Hogs a fourth-and-1 from the 4-yard line, and the Razorback capitalized.

On the next snap, Dick lofted a fade for Monk in the left near corner, and the 6-6 senior outjumped Jasper O’Quinn and Zach Smith for the key touchdown with 43 seconds left in the half.

“It was a definite pass situation, and we knew where they were going to go,” Croom said. “We have to make that play. That was a big play in the ballgame.”

The teams traded scores throughout the second half with Mississippi State never able to pull closer than two touchdowns.

Johnson ended the drama by recovering an onside kick after a Bulldogs score with 5: 00 left, and Grant intercepted Carroll to end Mississippi State’s final possession.