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Arkansas looks like Mississippi State’s most winnable SEC game again. Can Jeff Lebby break through?

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Arkansas looks like Mississippi State’s most winnable SEC game again. Can Jeff Lebby break through?


STARKVILLE — Coach Jeff Lebby doesn’t talk about last season to his Mississippi State football players anymore.

Nothing can be changed from the Bulldogs’ 2-10 record in Lebby’s first season where they lost every SEC game by double digits and only notched wins against FCS Eastern Kentucky and then-FBS independent UMass.

But with MSU’s next game at Arkansas (2-6, 0-4 SEC) on Nov. 1 (3 p.m., SEC Network) perhaps a portion of last season should be revisited.

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The matchup for MSU (4-4, 0-4) appears to be its best remaining chance to end its 16-game SEC losing streak. But that was also a thought last season when Mississippi State hosted Arkansas. Mississippi State was served a humbling 58-25 beatdown at Davis Wade Stadium.

“One thing I mentioned last year was ‘Hey, let’s go play as hard as we possibly can,’” Lebby said. “‘Let’s do everything we can this week to go play as hard as we can and maybe the ball will bounce the right way and somehow we’ll be able to go win a football game.’ That was the reality of it. I didn’t talk like that during the season because I never will.

“This is a completely different situation. We got a good football team. We did not a year ago. We have a good enough team to win.”

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Even with Arkansas’ six-game losing streak and Bobby Petrino as the interim coach, Lebby said the Bulldogs will have to beat “the best 2-6 football team in the country” to get the elusive SEC win. The program’s last SEC win was at Arkansas in 2023.

Why Arkansas is Mississippi State’s best chance to snap SEC losing streak

Mississippi State has four games remaining. Arkansas is the only opponent not ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Mississippi State still has home games against No. 5 Georgia, No. 8 Ole Miss and a road game at No. 20 Missouri.

In a way, Arkansas is similar to last season’s Mississippi State team. It’s in the midst of a long losing streak. Arkansas is anchored down by the SEC’s worst defense, just like MSU in 2024.

But there are differences too that make the Razorbacks not a gimme. BetMGM lists Mississippi State as a 4.5-point underdog as of Oct. 29.

The Razorbacks have played all of their SEC games close, including Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas A&M. Taylen Green is a quarterback who causes problems in the air and on the ground. He scored six touchdowns against the Bulldogs last season.

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Arkansas fired its defensive coordinator, defensive line coach and secondary coach on Sept. 29.

“Defensively, they’re completely different,” Lebby said. “… We have three games that we’ve watched that can kind give you the information of what we’re going to get this weekend. It’s very limited tape, but feel like we have a good grasp of what it’s going to look like and what we’re going to get.”

How Mississippi State vs Arkansas could be decided

Three of the last four games for Mississippi State have been heartbreaking losses.

MSU led Tennessee by seven points in the fourth quarter before losing in overtime. It was in range for a potential game-winning field goal at Florida until quarterback Blake Shapen threw an interception. In Week 9, MSU coughed up a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter before losing to Texas in overtime.

“It’s truly each position and that’s what we talked about in the team meeting,” Lebby said. “It’s not one guy in one situation and one thing happening that’s keeping us from knocking the door down and getting the victory. It’s every position on the field. It’s giving these guys something a little better to go execute.”

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Arkansas has lost those same battles as Mississippi State.

Against Ole Miss, the Razorbacks lost a fumble near the red zone while trailing by six with two minutes to play. They also fumbled with 1:18 remaining while in field-goal range against Memphis before losing 32-31. Their losses to Tennessee and Texas A&M were both by three points. Arkansas’ last game ended in a brutal 33-24 loss to Auburn when in the fourth quarter it committed four turnovers and was outscored 17-0.

“I think every game in this league is hard to win,” MSU wide receiver Brenen Thompson said. “I think winning is hard as it is no matter what league you’re in, but especially this league. Every game gets diagnosed the same. Every game gets the same amount of effort put in to it, at least for me and this team.”

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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bet365 bonus code NYPBET: Bet $5, get $150 in bonus bets for Louisiana vs. Arkansas State

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bet365 bonus code NYPBET: Bet , get 0 in bonus bets for Louisiana vs. Arkansas State


Louisiana heads to Jonesboro looking to extend its late-season push, while Arkansas State tries to lock up bowl eligibility after dropping a tight one to Southern Miss. 

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The Ragin’ Cajuns arrive with a run-heavy identity and back-to-back wins, but they’re slight underdogs against a Red Wolves team that has taken four of its last five. 

With both defenses leaking yardage and rain in the forecast, this matchup tilts toward whichever offense handles the conditions and protects the ball better.

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What our Post expert thinks about Louisiana vs. Arkansas State

Arkansas State’s Jaylen Raynor has topped 2,450 passing yards with a 68.2% completion rate, giving the Red Wolves one of the Sun Belt’s steadier aerial attacks. 

Louisiana’s defense has struggled to contain the run, allowing 192.6 yards per game and 22 rushing touchdowns, a troubling matchup against an opponent that leans on balance. 

And with Louisiana averaging 186 rushing yards per outing and controlling possession for 38 minutes in its last win, the Cajuns’ ability to dictate tempo could become the decisive swing factor.

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Arkansas plan to implement SNAP junk food restrictions ‘not feasible,’ lawmaker says

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Arkansas plan to implement SNAP junk food restrictions ‘not feasible,’ lawmaker says


Arkansas’ prohibition on the use of SNAP benefits for unhealthy food items like soda and candy takes effect next year, and state lawmakers and retailers are questioning how it can realistically be implemented.

At an Arkansas Legislative Council meeting Tuesday, State Sen. Jonathan Dismang, (R) District 18, expressed concerns about the lack of clarity from the state on what food items are banned.

“I have started getting concerns from retailers on how we’re going to implement the nutrition side of the program,” Dismang said.

There’s not a clear list of SNAP-prohibited junk food products Arkansas has named in its new ban, which only says that “soda, fruit and vegetable drinks with less than 50 percent natural juice, unhealthy drinks, and candy” are now ineligible for SNAP.

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The Arkansas Department of Human Services has planned to put the burden of defining what is or isn’t eligible on retailers rather than creating its own list.

The plan was for retailers to refer to GS1 U.S. food product classifications as a guide, but very few retailers actually use that. The state has two other options.

“If they choose to use a third party to help take that GS1 framework and apply it to their own individual product array that they sell, that’s an option as well… the third option is take the broad definitions that we are providing through the GS1 framework and apply it in good faith to their own product array,” said Mary Franklin, director of the DHS Division of County Operations, at Tuesday’s ALC Peer meeting.

“Your three options are not workable options for retailers. That may be the easiest thing for DHS to do, but it is not feasible for every grocer or retailer in the state to maintain their own list,” Dismang responded, “we’re going to be asking our retailers to make those judgment calls at their own peril if they do it incorrectly.”

The senator expressed concern that it may discourage retailers from participating in SNAP, potentially costing recipients their access to benefits, particularly in rural areas.

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“What I’m scared you’re going to do is create a scenario where entities, probably in areas that they need it the most, are not going to be able to offer SNAP because of the risk associated with not appropriately categorizing an item,” Dismang said.

“We want to make sure that the rules don’t unintentionally reduce access across communities that already face barriers,” Claire Tiffin, director of community engagement with the Arkansas Food Bank, told KATV.

Dismang has asked that DHS establish its own list of SNAP-ineligible food items that retailers can rely on.



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Arkansas basketball win vs Winthrop marred by scuffle between players

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Arkansas basketball win vs Winthrop marred by scuffle between players


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Arkansas men’s basketball mounted a large surge to erase a five-point deficit in the final 1:15 and avoid what would have been a massive upset against Winthrop in an 84-83 victory at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

The comeback might not have even been the most notable event from the game’s waning moments.

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Trailing by one with 15 seconds remaining, Arkansas’s Meleek Thomas got a steal and initiated a fast break, which ended with a Nick Pringle layup with 11.9 seconds left to give the Razorbacks what would ultimately prove to be the game-winning basket.

After the bucket, Pringle turned around to head back to get on defense, but had his head caught between the arms of Winthrop center Logan Duncomb, who caught the ball after it went through the basket. The two tangled players fell to the court, after which Pringle lifted Duncomb up by the front of his jersey before pushing him back down on the ground.

Coaches and players from both teams sprinted on the court to break the players up before the situation could escalate into a fight.

Both Pringle and Duncomb were issued Class A technical fouls. Duncomb’s foul was his fifth of the game, removing him from the contest. Two players from each team were ejected from the game for running onto the court from the bench.

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After the game, Pringle said he apologized to his teammates in the huddle for the altercation.

“I can’t have my team in those type of scenarios, no matter what happens,” Pringle said. “So, you know, just gotta be smarter. I shouldn’t react. I should have just, you know, took it as it was, and let it slide. Big games, that can cost us.”

Winthrop’s Daylen Berry missed a contested 3-pointer on the other end, allowing the No. 22 Razorbacks to hold on for a win in a game in which they were favored by 23.

Pringle, a 6-foot-10 senior, is in his first season at Arkansas after transferring over from South Carolina after the 2024-25 season. He entered the game against Winthrop averaging 5.8 points and six rebounds per game this season.

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