Mississippi State stifles Arkansas 7-3 in defensive battle

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Mike Wright threw for 85 yards and a touchdown, and he added 60 yards rushing in his first start of the season to help Mississippi State beat Arkansas 7-3 on Saturday.

Mississippi State (4-3, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) was without starting quarterback Will Rogers because of a shoulder injury suffered in the fourth quarter of their previous game. Wright, a Vanderbilt transfer, had a second-quarter touchdown pass to Jo’Quavious Marks.

That was plenty for the Mississippi State defense.

Arkansas’ offense, ranked 118th in FBS in yards per game, struggled worse than usual, especially in the first half. The Razorbacks (2-6, 0-5) had just four first downs and 78 yards. The three first-half points came courtesy of a 26-yard field goal from Cam Little that capped a 29-yard drive after Arkansas started at the Bulldogs’ 35 following an interception on Mississippi State’s first series.

Five of Arkansas’ six losses this season have been by a touchdown or less. Coach Sam Pittman bemoaned his offense’s inability to add just a bit more to turn those into wins.

“Not very good,” Pittman said. “We’ve got good kids. We’ve got guys who try hard, but we’re just not very good right now. Got a lot of figuring out to do between now and Florida. A lot.”

The Razorbacks appeared to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter when a bad snap resulted in a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. But a flag was thrown, signaling the play never counted due to a false start by Mississippi State. The Bulldogs punted and Arkansas went three-and-out from deep in their own territory, walking off to a chorus of boos.

Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson went 19 of 31 for 97 yards with an interception and he ran for 38 yards on 16 carries. Jefferson’s Hail Mary attempt from about 60 yards was batted down at the goal line.

“We did a good job of limiting his yards in scramble situations and quarterback-designed runs,” Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett said. “I think our guys knew that if you’re going to slow down that offense right there, you got to start by slowing that quarterback. They were ready for the challenge.”

ROCKET STAYS GROUNDED

Arkansas running back Raheim Sanders, a preseason All-American, missed his fifth game of the season because of a knee injury. He ran for an average of 111 yards a game last year, but the Razorbacks have averaged just 108 yards a game on the ground this season as a team.

STREAKING THE WRONG WAY

Arkansas’ six-game losing streak is its longest since 2019 when the Razorbacks lost nine straight, finishing 2-10 and winless in the SEC. Coach Chad Morris was fired before the season was over.

BIG PICTURE

Mississippi State pulled itself out of the SEC cellar with the win, though the Bulldogs didn’t appear to be much of a threat to the league’s upper-tier teams.

The best Arkansas can hope for is a .500 regular season. It’s a big step backward for a team that won nine games two seasons ago and seven last year while returning a preseason All-American running back and second-team All-SEC quarterback.

UP NEXT

Arkansas: The Razorbacks are on a bye week.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs travel to Auburn on Saturday.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football