Like It Is

With victory in grasp, Razorbacks delivered

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman (left) and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles are shown during a game against Mississippi State on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, in Starkville, Miss.

In the fourth quarter, the Arkansas Razorbacks found themselves in unfamiliar territory, especially in the SEC.

They had a chance to win.

It took one of the best defensive performances in recent history to get them there.

With Mississippi State taking over twice in Arkansas territory in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie, the defense scrapped and held.

Then Momma Luck smiled on the Hogs for the first time in a long white.

After the Hogs were stopped deep in their own territory, George Caratan punted 46 yards. Deon Edwards then recovered a fumble on the return for the Hogs with 2:35 to play.

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They won 21-14. It felt like an escape, but an old book is finally closed.

The Hogs’ defense, which was bone tired from being on the field more than 36 minutes, stopped State time and again.

Up 14-7, the Razorbacks drove 75 yards in 11 plays for a 21-7 lead on the first drive of the second half. State answered with a 76-yard scoring drive to set the score with 3:50 to play in the third quarter. Nothing but zeroes after.

It was obvious the Razorbacks, who were better in their opener than expected, had improved since last week. Great game plans on both sides of the ball made for a down-to-the wire finish.

In their last two meetings, Mississippi State beat the Arkansas Razorbacks by a combined 106-30 score.

That’s being in the same conference but different leagues, until last night when they looked more like fighting Razorbacks than a team that hadn’t won a conference game since Oct. 28, 2017.

It took all their fight, hustle and desire to beat a team with more depth and speed.

Three interceptions, two by Joe Foucha, had kept hope pumping through the Hogs’ heart, but after the offense went three-and-out, State was at the Hogs’ 30 with 7:52 to play. The Hogs held on fourth and 2 from the 7.

It took a quarter, almost literally, for the Razorbacks’ offense to even get warmed up as the Bulldogs had possession for 13:57.

Despite being on the field that long, the Razorbacks’ defense controlled the second quarter, deflecting passes and eventually forcing K.J. Costello to throw the ball down field instead of dumping it under the coverage.

All things considered, the Hogs ended up making their own luck in the second quarter as Feleipe Franks made MSU pay for focusing on Arkansas’ three primary receivers: Treylon Burks, Trey Knox and Mike Woods.

Franks teamed up with De’Vion Warren for a 52-yard gain that got the Hogs first and goal at the 9, but it ended with a fumble, but that was their first possession of the second quarter and they were showing poise and determination while tied at 7-7.

Greg Brooks gave UA a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when he picked Costello and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown.

State tied it late in the first quarter when they had 157 yards of offense to 9 for the Razorbacks.

After the Bulldogs recovered KJ Jefferson’s fumble, they struggled to move the ball.

It took Franks just eight plays to get the Razorbacks to the end zone with a 19-yard throw to Warren to make it 14-7.

The Hogs’ defense held the Bulldogs to 49 yards in the second quarter, and they did it mainly with a three-man rush and a zone defense, something LSU didn’t employ in a 44-34 loss to State.

Mississippi State was named team of the week by the Football Writers Association of America and jumped into The Associated Press poll at No. 16.

But the Bulldogs didn’t look like a well-oiled machine, and the Razorbacks capitalized with a long overdue victory.