Mississippi and Arkansas have combined to produce some doozies their last few meetings.
Hold their beer. Or at least their hotty toddy.
The 16th-ranked Rebels (5-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) are set to host the Razorbacks on Saturday night, a week after a breathless 55-49 win over No. 23 LSU. It makes these teams’ last three matchups look a little less wild, which is saying something.
Last season’s game produced three 200-yard rushers. A 52-51 Ole Miss win ended with a failed two-point conversion two years ago. The Razorbacks had six interceptions, including a win-sealing pick-six, in 2020..
What’s next?
“I think it’s going to be one helluva game for fans to watch,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said.
The Pittman vs. Lane Kiffin matchups have certainly delivered to this point.
The Razorbacks (2-3 ,0-2) have lost three straight games. The Rebels rebounded strongly from a loss to No. 11 Alabama when their offense looked uncharacteristically pedestrian. Ole Miss, which had 706 yards against LSU, is favored over the struggling Razorbacks.
“When Arkansas plays Ole Miss, it doesn’t matter what they’ve done before,” Kiffin said, noting that the Razorbacks won last year’s meeting a couple weeks after losing to Liberty. “And then they come out with us and look like a top five team in the country.”
Five of the last eight games between Ole Miss and Arkansas have been decided by four or fewer points.
Arkansas got one of its best players back in the loss to Texas A&M. Running back Raheim Sanders returned from a knee injury sustained in the opener and had 11 carries for 34 yards. The SEC’s No. 2 rusher last season has just 76 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.
“He’ll obviously be better this week than he was last game,” Pittman said. “I don’t think that was the old Rocket yet, but I think he certainly will get there.”
Like Arkansas, Ole Miss has a big playmaker back in the fold. Wide receiver Tre Harris returned full steam from a knee injury to tie a career-high with eight catches for 153 yards and a touchdown against LSU. He’s averaging 21.3 yards on 16 catches and six of them have been for scores. Tight end Caden Prieskorn is also back. He and Harris are both transfers.
The last two meetings have produced substantial offensive fireworks. Ole MIss won 52-51 in the Razorbacks’ last visit to Oxford, when Pittman’s decision to go for two points after a last-play touchdown didn’t work. Last season, Arkansas won 42-27 despite giving up 703 total yards and 200-yard rushing efforts to both Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans.
The two teams combined for 798 yards on the ground last season. Sanders ran for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Judkins (214 yards) and Evans (207) became the first Ole Miss duo to rush for 200 yards in the same game.
Like Sanders, Judkins has battled injuries and hasn’t had quite the start many expected of him. But he’s coming off a huge game for the Rebels when he had 33 carries for 177 yards and two touchdowns against LSU.
“When I go on the field, I know the player I am, the best player in the country,” Judkins said. “I just proved it (last Saturday).”
Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson has played well in two meetings with the Rebels. He has combined to complete 74% of his passes for 494 yards and six touchdowns against one interception. He has also run for 132 yards and three scores.
Kiffin was asked about the 6-foot-3, 247-pounder’s growth as a quarterback.
“Growth? I mean, he gets bigger every year,” Kiffin said. “This guy, he’s so hard to bring down and so challenging to play against. He always brings his A-game against us, also.”
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball will welcome one of the best players in program history back to Bud Walton Arena tonight.
The No. 24 Razorbacks (3-1) will host Little Rock (3-2) Friday. The Trojans are coached by Darrell Walker, who was a consensus All-American for the Razorbacks in 1983 and is a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame and the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor.
The Hogs are in the midst of a four-game homestand and are coming off a 91-72 victory over Pacific Monday. They’ve been stingy through the early portion of the season and rank 10th in the nation in KenPom’s defensive efficiency metric.
This will be just the second meeting between the two Natural State programs. Arkansas won 93-78 in 2021, and the Trojans are coming off a road victory over Tulsa in their most recent contest.
Below are live score updates, highlights and other notes from Arkansas basketball’s fifth game of the season.
This section will be updated when the game begins.
Arkansas vs. Little Rock will be broadcast on SEC Network. The matchup can also be streamed with a subscription to FUBO, which has the option for a free trial, and ESPN+, which includes ESPNU and all other ESPN channels.
Arkansas 79, Little Rock 63: This game could follow a familiar theme to earlier home games, with a mid-major squad staying close thanks to 3-pointers, but Arkansas’ talent eventually wearing out the opposition. A blowout is more likely if one of Trevon Brazile or Jonas Aidoo returns to the floor for the Hogs.
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Friday morning:
Record: 3-1
(Next five games)
Record: 3-2
(Next five games)
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Second-round playoff games take place across the state Friday, November 22, in the Arkansas high school football postseason.
You can follow all of the AAA playoff football games and get updated scores by tracking the SBLive/SI Arkansas High School Football Scoreboard.
High School on SI will have in-game score updates and all of the final scores from every corner of the state. You can also search for full schedules and complete scores from all of your favorite teams.
Here’s your guide to catching all of the Round 2 Arkansas high school football playoff action on Friday night (November 22, 2024).
STATEWIDE ARKANSAS FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
CLASS 7A SCORES
CLASS 6A SCORES
CLASS 5A SCORES
CLASS 4A SCORES
CLASS 3A SCORES
CLASS 2A SCORES
CLASS 8 MAN SCORES
2024 ARKANSAS FOOTBALL SCHEDULES: FIND YOUR TEAM
Can’t make it to your favorite team’s game but still want to watch them live? You can watch dozens of Arkansas high school football games live on the NFHS Network:
WATCH AAA GAMES LIVE ON NFHS NETWORK
Want to know how your team finished the regular season? Find out where they landed in our final computer rankings:
And don’t forget to visit the brand new Arkansas homepage on High School on SI, powered by SBLive Sports, for all the latest news, highlights, analysis, scores, photos and information on Arkansas high school sports. Follow our live game coverage and read our feature stories, breaking news, the latest recruiting news, rankings and much more.
To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app:
Download iPhone App | Download Android App
— Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports
Today at 2:16 a.m.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansas State University named Latika Johnson as the new director of its Multicultural Center, officials announced Thursday.
The Multicultural Center, housed in the Carl R. Reng Student Union, provides “social, cultural, educational and leadership opportunities with specific attention to the needs of underrepresented and marginalized students,” according to the university’s website.
“Our…
Column: OpenAI just scored a huge victory in a copyright case … or did it?
Bird flu leaves teen in critical condition after country's first reported case
Column: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
Sarah Palin, NY Times Have Explored Settlement, as Judge Sets Defamation Retrial
Trump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
Trump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25739950/247386_Elon_Musk_Open_AI_CVirginia.jpg "Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI")
Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
Some in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs
