FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas hosts Mississippi State this weekend with both seeking their first Southeastern Conference win of the year.
The Razorbacks are coming off a four-game stretch away from home, all in the SEC, in which they lost all four to Top 25 teams. Now, pressure is sitting in for the Hogs, as they can only lose one more game and still have a shot at becoming bowl-eligible.
If Arkansas wants to play in a bowl game this year, they have to figure things out.
And fast.
The Razorbacks (2-5, 0-4 SEC) are riding a five-game losing streak, the longest of the Sam Pittman era, and must win four of their final five regular-season games to get a bowl bid.
While it won't be easy, Arkansas will play four of those games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, starting Saturday against Mississippi State (3-3, 0-3 SEC).
"When you keep backing yourself up into a corner, at some point, you have to go forward," Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said. "We want to show the state of Arkansas that we have a good football team [and] a good enough one to win. There's a lot of motivation there."
Here's what you need to know ahead of kickoff.
Home, sweet home
Razorback Stadium will be rocking on Saturday as the Hogs return home for the first time in 35 days, ending Arkansas's longest road stretch to start conference play since 1925.
Additionally, the Razorbacks' road trip was the second-longest in college football this season, only behind Coastal Carolina, who had to wait 37 days between home games.
Pittman said the time on the road was a humbling experience for the team, but they're happy to be back at home against Mississippi State for the 32nd meeting between the two programs.
"It was a hard stretch, but I think our team is better than when we last played here at home," Pittman said. "We have to win Saturday to reach our goals... we've proven that we have a pretty good football team. We haven't proven we can win."
Although the Hogs own an 18-13-1 overall record and are 10-4-1 against the Bulldogs in Fayetteville, Mississippi State has dominated the matchup in recent years.
The Bulldogs defeated the Razorbacks 40-17 last season and have won three of their previous four meetings against Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Since 2012, the series has favored Mississippi State as they've won eight of the 11 matchups, including seven of eight from 2012 through 2019.
2 quarterbacks, 2 different gameplans
Arkansas is preparing two different defensive game plans with Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers questionable with a shoulder injury.
Mike Wright, who has SEC experience as a transfer from Vanderbilt, will get the starting nod at quarterback if Rogers is a no-go, and Pittman said he brings a different element to the Bulldogs' offense when he's on the field.
"[Wright] throws better than I want him to," Pittman said. "He can throw the football, he's fast [and] obviously they'll call run-designed plays for him, not just read plays where he has the opportunity to keep it. Right now, they're reading the defensive end and allowing him to run or hand it off."
According to Pro Football Focus, of Wright's 66 snaps this season, 53 have been running plays, while Rogers has logged 197 passing snaps to 129 rushing snaps.
If Rogers is good to go, expect more passing. If it's Wright, Mississippi State will focus on establishing the run game.
"They're very similar to us offensively with Will [Rogers] back there," Pittman said. "If you think back to when we had Malik Hornsby and that type of offense: roll-out, read, running quarterback, fills, leads... that would be where they're at now [with Wright]."
Regardless, Arkansas's defense has been stout against both the pass and run this season, ranking 54th in the country against the pass (218 passing yards allowed per game) and 60th against the run (133.3 rushing yards allowed per game).
The Razorback defense sits 50th in total defense, the highest since the Hogs were No. 10 in 2014.
Mississippi State's leading rusher, running back Jo'quavious Marks, also has an injury designation and is questionable. Marks is seventh in the SEC in rushing with 458 yards and four touchdowns on 80 carries.
Tackle party
Saturday's game between Arkansas and Mississippi State will feature the SEC's top three tacklers — Arkansas linebacker Jaheim Thomas and Mississippi State linebackers Jett Johnson and Nathaniel Watson.
Thomas leads the conference with 69 total stops, including 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. The transfer from Cincinnati has a team-leading four double-digit tackle efforts this season for a Razorback defense that allows 25.1 points and 351.3 yards per game, which ranks 10th and eighth in the SEC, respectively.
"He's a guy you can count on, and he's tough," Pittman said. "For him to come in here and do what he's done for us, and in this league... it's not normal for that to happen, and we're really happy with him. I think a part of it is he's such a good kid; he does a lot of film study and it's important to him."
Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett brought an attacking style of defense when he joined the Bulldogs' staff in 2020 as the defensive coordinator. Johnson and Watson spearhead a Mississippi State defensive unit known for its aggressive play and heavy blitzing under its 3-3-5 scheme.
"We'll probably have to throw it a little bit more," Pittman said. "They're very aggressive on first down... we need to protect, we've got to move the pocket, throw, and catch. We like some runs against the front, but with all their movement and against our experience upfront, we have to do something different than hand it off between the A-gaps."
Johnson currently ranks second in the SEC with 66 tackles and averages a conference-best 11 tackles per game, which is also eighth nationally. He is the only SEC player averaging at least 10+ tackles per game.
Next to the graduate student is Watson, who has racked up 57 tackles this season, third best in the SEC.
Through six games, the duo has combined for 123 tackles, 9.5 tackles, three interceptions, two pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
How to watch
Coverage from Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium begins at 11:00 a.m. Central on ESPN. Mark Jones and Louis Riddick will be on the call, with Quint Kessenich reporting from the sidelines.
You can catch postgame coverage on THV11's Hog Zone after Saturday's 10 p.m. newscast.