Mississippi
No. 16 Mississippi scores 10 points in fourth quarter to rally for 27-20 win over Arkansas
![No. 16 Mississippi scores 10 points in fourth quarter to rally for 27-20 win over Arkansas No. 16 Mississippi scores 10 points in fourth quarter to rally for 27-20 win over Arkansas](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/images/apmediaapi/2023/10/07/USAT/71108100007-Arkansas_Mississippi_Football_59351.jpeg?auto=webp&crop=5999,3375,x0,y312&format=pjpg&width=1200)
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Fourth quarter comeback wins are not the preferred game plan for No. 16 Mississippi. However, as long as the Rebels keep getting it done, coach Lane Kiffin will remain satisfied.
Ulysses Bentley IV scored the go-ahead touchdown with 7:49 remaining as Mississippi put together two consecutive fourth quarter scoring drives to rally to beat Arkansas 27-20 on Saturday night.
The latest win followed last week’s 55-49 victory over LSU, as the Rebels (5-1, 2-1 SEC) erased a nine-point deficit over the final eight minutes. This time, the Razorbacks held a 20-17 edge entering the final eight minutes.
“We’re very pleased because traditionally Arkansas is a team we’ve struggled with,” Kiffin said. “We got down again and outscored them 10-0 at the end. Our defense got stops and we won the turnover battle 2-0. You want to win these kind of games.”
The Rebels got a decisive 75-yard, 12-play scoring drive, capped by Bentley’s six-yard touchdown run. Bentley finished with 13 carries for 94 yards.
Mississippi followed the late scores with defensive stops, including an interception by John Saunders, Jr. The stops sandwiched Caden Davis’ 22-yard field goal with 2:43 remaining to seal the win.
K.J. Jefferson led Arkansas (2-4, 0-3) with 25 of 39 passing for 252 yards, including touchdown passes of 3 and 17 yards to Ty Washington, who finished with seven receptions for 90 yards. The first scoring pass lifted Arkansas to an early 7-0 lead.
The Rebels answered with consecutive first quarter scoring drives, capped by a 27-yard field goal from Davis and a 1-yard scoring run by Quinshon Judkins. Mississippi added a 6-yard touchdown pass from Jaxson Dart to Dayton Wade for a 17-7 halftime lead.
The Razorbacks got field goals a career-best 56 yards and 26 yards from Cam Little in the third quarter, and then Washington’s Washington’s 17-yard scoring reception to take a 20-17 lead. The Rebels then scored the final 10 points.
Arkansas finished with 288 yards of total offense, but managed only 36 yards rushing. The Razorbacks had 10 penalties for 70 yards along with the two turnovers.
“It’s hard to win a game when you can’t run the ball,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “There’s way too much pressure on our quarterback. Our offense has got to find a way to run the football.”
Dart finished 16 of 25 for 153 yards passing while Judkins added 18 carries for 65 yards as Mississippi finished with 349 yards of total offense. Ashanti Cistrunk added a first quarter interception that set up a scoring drive.
“They ran all over us last year,” Cistrunk said. “This time we did a better job with the run and we made plays tonight.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Arkansas: Despite four consecutive losses, the offense — 191 points in six games — offers a chance against the remainder of the schedule. Unfortunately, the defense has surrendered 38, 34, 34 and 27 points during the four-game slide. Three consecutive home games close the schedule, but it may be too late by then for Arkansas to climb back to the .500 mark.
Mississippi: The bottom line was the Rebels avoided an upset loss despite an inspired effort from Arkansas. The win keeps Ole Miss in the race for the SEC West Division title and an open date could not come at a better time after successive emotional comeback wins.
“The week off is good. We have a lot of challenges coming up,” Kiffin said. “We have a lot of hard places to play. A lot of places where it’s hard to get a win.”
INJURY UPDATE
Tre Harris, the most productive of the Mississippi receivers, was injured on the second play of the game and returned for only one other series. Harris has a team-high six touchdowns on 16 receptions.
“He has a lower body injury,” said Kiffin, who did not elaborate on the injury or future playing status. “He’s tough. He tried to go but he couldn’t.”
Arkansas acknowledged injuries in the postgame press conference but did not name specific players.
“We got several injuries throughout the game. It was a hard-hitting game,” Pittman said. “We’re going to let our training staff evaluate (the players) but I think we have some guys that are going to be out.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The No. 16 Rebels are the third-highest ranked of seven SEC teams in the Top 25. The home win will secure the current ranking and should launch a climb toward a top-10 slot.
UP NEXT
Arkansas: The Razorbacks visit No. 11 Alabama on Saturday.
Mississippi: An open date before a visit to Auburn and former coach Hugh Freeze on Oct. 21.
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Mississippi
Mississippi State’s Loss Doesn’t Stop SEC from Owning Week Two in AP Top 25
![Mississippi State’s Loss Doesn’t Stop SEC from Owning Week Two in AP Top 25 Mississippi State’s Loss Doesn’t Stop SEC from Owning Week Two in AP Top 25](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2748,h_1545,x_411,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/cowbell_corner/01j79mrpwsvvqcvrr5dh.jpg)
Outside of Mississippi State, Arkansas and Auburn, the SEC had a very successful Week Two of the college football season. The latest AP Top 25 poll reflects the strength of the SEC with 6 of the top 7 spots belonging to SEC teams.
Here’s a recap of how the ranked SEC teams fared in the second full week of the college football season:
Click here for a recap of the unranked SEC teams.
With the exception of giving up three points, this was probably exactly how Georgia expected this game to go. Carson Beck threw five touchdowns and the defense held Tennessee Tech to less than 150 yards of total offense. Anything less would be a surprise.
More than 100,000 people saw Texas come into Ann Arbor, Mich. and leave with a huge win. The Longhorns looked like the better team from the first drive of the game where they easily marched down the field. That Oct. 19 game in Austin against Georgia is looking better and better.
It was a lot closer than Alabama would’ve liked, but it’s a win that will fend off the “Nick Saban is gone, we’re doomed” crowd. At the same time, though, there were some things that crowd could point to at a later time.
Two games against inferior competition and Ole Miss has outscored its opponents 129-3. They’ll take a slight step up in competition next week against Wake Forest, but the Rebels are still about a month away from playing a team that will truly test them.
Missouri’s schedule just took an unexpected bump in its level of difficulty with No. 24 Boston College joining the top 25. Bill O’Brien is brilliant at game planning and calling plays (not so much with making trades, but that hasn’t reached the college ranks yet). Missouri needs to be on upset alert (and ready to stop the run).
This happens every year. Tennessee looks really good to start the season and by the end Volunteer fans are saying next year is their year. But maybe this year is their year with the way Nico Iamaleava has been playing.
Of the two SEC newcomers, Texas is getting most of the attention which makes sense based on the current teams. But folks, don’t sleep on the Sooners. They ruined many of my own childhood memories growing up in Texas. This week’s way-too close game doesn’t help that argument, but think long term.
LSU was one of three SEC teams to play FCS schools after playing top 25 teams last week. The Tigers and Texas A&M both lost, while Georgia won. So, it’s not surprising to see each of them play FCS teams and neither were any of the results.
SEC Week 2 Power Rankings: Which Teams Are Contenders or Pretenders?
WATCH: Mississippi State’s Bowl Hopes Take a Hit with Arizona State Defeat
Mississippi State Crumbles in the Trenches: What Went Wrong Against Arizona State?
Mississippi
Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo ‘disrespected’ by Mississippi State football’s defensive game plan
![Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo ‘disrespected’ by Mississippi State football’s defensive game plan Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo ‘disrespected’ by Mississippi State football’s defensive game plan](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/09/08/PKNS/75130225007-usatsi-24184754.jpg?auto=webp&crop=4080,2296,x0,y294&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Cam Skattebo slammed Mississippi State on the football field on Saturday night and also took another jab afterward in his postgame press conference.
The Arizona State running back, following a 30-23 Sun Devils win at Mountain America Stadium, took exception to MSU only utilizing three defenders on the line of scrimmage. The results were damning.
Arizona State (2-0) rushed for 346 yards. It was the most allowed by Mississippi State (1-1) in a game since Arkansas in 2016. Skattebo’s 262 rushing yards on 33 carries were the second-most in ASU history.
“They couldn’t stop us in that three-down front,” Skattebo said when asked what made ASU’s run game successful. “Honestly, we all felt disrespected with them in a three-down front. You can’t come in here and put five guys in the box and expect to stop six. I don’t know. We took that a little disrespectful, and we rushed for what over 300 yards? Something around there. It is what it is.”
Skattebo, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound junior, also led Arizona State with 35 receiving yards on three catches.
“I knew these dudes were big and heavy,” he said. “We knew going into the game they weren’t as physical as most other teams but they’re heavy. So when they hit you, it hurts, no matter how hard they’re coming — 300 pounds at 10 miles per hour or 16 miles per hour hurts the same. I just kept my feet moving.”
Mississippi State trailed 30-3 in the third quarter but scored 20 unanswered points to cut the score to 30-23 with 5:27 to play. The Bulldogs never touched the ball again, with the Sun Devils running out the clock on 12 plays.
Skattebo had a game-sealing 39-yard rush that allowed ASU to kneel down.
“Until the end, we had our ups and downs there, but that was fun,” he said. “You can ask these guys up front, bullying dudes, grown men that are 300 pounds, that’s fun to us. That’s fun to the front-five, the front-seven and the running back. The quarterback probably hates it. He probably likes watching, but he didn’t complain one time the whole game.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Why Mississippi State football loss to Arizona State revealed a strong Jeff Lebby culture
![Why Mississippi State football loss to Arizona State revealed a strong Jeff Lebby culture Why Mississippi State football loss to Arizona State revealed a strong Jeff Lebby culture](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/09/08/PKNS/75130223007-usatsi-24184733.jpg?auto=webp&crop=3382,1904,x0,y239&format=pjpg&width=1200)
It was 11:10 p.m. Saturday in Starkville when Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt barreled into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.
At that point, it would’ve been fair for Mississippi State football fans to call it a night. The Bulldogs (1-1) trailed 27-3 at ASU in the final minute of the second quarter. They were dominated in just about every statistical category. New coach Jeff Lebby looked like he was headed toward his first loss, and an embarrassing one.
And even if you gave the second half a chance, eyes just a crack open, that wasn’t encouraging either. Arizona State (2-0) took the opening drive of the third quarter for a field goal while eating 8 minutes, 27 seconds of game time. That just about decided the game before Mississippi State touched the ball in the second half.
Wrong.
Instead, MSU scored touchdowns on three of its next four drives and cut the score to 30-23 with 5:27 to play. The defense, which was torched for 346 rushing yards, needed one more stop to let the offense try to tie it. It would’ve been the largest comeback in program history.
Mississippi State’s path to a bowl game seems murkier than it was a week ago. But in the long-term, there’s still encouragement after the 30-23 loss.
“Our guys battled in an incredible way in the second half, and we’re going to hold on to that,” Lebby said in his postgame radio interview. “We’re going to find ways to get back in the building, get back to work and be able to walk into Davis Wade (Stadium) with a ton of confidence and ready to go win a football game.”
The encouragement from Mississippi State’s comeback effort
Lebby said after beating Eastern Kentucky 56-7 in Week 1 that there is an abundance of teachable moments in wins, just like losses.
There is plenty to point to after losing to Arizona State.
Mississippi State came out incredibly flat. The Sun Devils scored on their first five possessions. The MSU offense had one field goal, two punts, a fumble returned for a touchdown and a turnover-on-downs in the first half. MSU had -13 rushing yards in the first half.
There were concerns entering the game about the travel distance, late kickoff and high temperature. But let’s be real, Mississippi State was playing so poorly at the start that it was hard to judge if those were factors.
“I got to do a better job getting these guys ready to go play out of the gate,” Lebby said. “I thought our energy, our effort and our emotion was really good, but then we did not play clean there in the first quarter, so that part was frustrating.”
The Bulldogs outscored the Sun Devils 20-0 in the final quarter and a half. It was a surprise. Arizona State was rolling. Mississippi State was not.
MORE: Introducing Sam Sklar, the Clarion Ledger’s new Mississippi State beat reporter
For Lebby, a first-time head coach at any level, let it be a learning moment for him. It was his first time getting pinned in a corner. The Bulldogs adjusted correctly in the second half like good coaches do.
The rushing offense and defense both need to improve. Badly. Quarterback Blake Shapen has been impressive in his first two Mississippi State games and the wide receiver room is deep and talented as ever, but they can’t be the only answer.
That’s just for this season.
Mississippi State has its first tally in the loss column. But it isn’t a strike against Lebby leading the future of the program.
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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