FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Razorbacks have talked about tackling tougher and playing the role of the hammer on defense for the past two weeks.

Now it’s time to do something about it.

The Razorbacks know Mississippi State will ram running backs Anthony Dixon and Christian Ducre between the tackles all afternoon Saturday at Starkville, Miss., if they don’t bow up to stop them.

“I feel it’s up to us to win this game,” Arkansas defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard said of the Hogs’ defensive front. “They love to run the ball, and if we can stop the run, we’ll have a better chance of winning.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Mississippi State has lost its shot at a bowl bid, but not its passion for pounding the ball on offense.

“I’m expecting it to be one of the most physical games we’ve played all season,” Arkansas linebacker Jerry Franklin said. “You watch them on film, and their offensive line gets out there and they’ve got big backs that run hard.”

Arkansas (4-6, 1-5 SEC ) owns a nine-game winning streak over the Bulldogs (3-7, 1-5 ), but the dominance hasn’t always been evident in the trenches.

And most assuredly the Bulldogs’ coaching staff is aware of Arkansas’ bend-then-break performance against the run in its last outing, a 34-21 loss at South Carolina prior to last week’s open date.

“You know, I think our kids saw it and they were very embarrassed about it,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said.

“After last week, people got the impression we gave up or weren’t as physical as we wanted to be,” safety Matt Harris said. “We want to go out there and prove them wrong.”

They’ll have a chance to do that against Mississippi State, which has turned to Tyson Lee at quarterback, a 5-11, 190-pounder who has added a scrambling dimension to an offense that averages 105 rushing yards and 178 passing yards per game.

However, the statistics show Arkansas is vulnerable against the run, allowing an SEC-worst 166. 2 yards per game.

“You go into every game thinking that they’re going to try and establish the running game,” Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette said. “This week in practice and the bye week have really helped us because we’ve gotten back to the basics and done a lot of hitting and physical work.

“ It’s just like any other game. If you’re able to control the line of scrimmage, you’re going to be successful.”

Mississippi State will be just as intent on forcing its will in the trenches. The Bulldogs hope to have 305-pound senior guard Robert Gates (hamstring, toe ) back from injury. His absence last week — a 32-7 loss to topranked Alabama — forced center J. C. Brignone out to guard and put redshirt freshman D. J. Looney in as the center. There were some issues with blown calls and an errant snap that was recovered by Alabama, though Coach Sylvester Croom said he was pleased with Looney’s play considering he was up against 370-pound Terrence Cody.

Regardless of the personnel on their offensive line, the Bulldogs will call on their sledgehammer backs Dixon and Ducre’.

Dixon, a 6-1, 240-pounder, and Ducre, 6-0, 215, rush for a combined 90 yards per game, and they’re the kind of yards that leave defenders as bruised as the runners.

“They have a really fine running back,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said of Dixon, who has 673 rushing yards and six touchdowns. “He runs with his pads down and is exceptional coming out of the backfield catching the ball.”