Arkansas visits Mississippi State, with both looking to rebound from SEC losses against ranked teams

Arkansas (4-2, 2-2 SEC) at Mississippi State (1-6, 0-4), Saturday, 12:45 p.m. ET (SEC).

College Sports Odds: Arkansas by 6 1/2.

Series: Arkansas leads 18-15-1.

What's at stake

The Razorbacks look to bounce back after dropping two of three against ranked teams, including a 34-10 home loss to No. 8 LSU. MSU still seeks its first SEC win after a sixth consecutive loss last week against No. 14 Texas A&M and will play its first unranked opponent in over a month. The Bulldogs have also lost to top-ranked Texas and then-No. 5 Georgia. MSU has won seven of the past 10 meetings, including 7-3 last year in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Key matchup

Arkansas enters with the SEC’s No. 4 offense (455.3 yards per game) but had only 277 on 50 plays against LSU. That’s 22 snaps below its average, which is critical for an offense that likes to run a lot of plays and seeks balance. The Hogs have a chance to boost their numbers against the SEC’s worst defense (449.7 yards), although MSU held Texas to 353 yards and intercepted two passes. Takeaways have provided the Bulldogs’ bright spot with a plus-2 margin and have picked off Georgia and Texas A&M twice the past two games. An opportunity looms against an Arkansas squad that’s next to last in the SEC at minus-5.

Players to watch

Arkansas RB Ja’Quinden Jackson is second in the SEC with 10 touchdowns rushing and fourth with 592 yards. The Utah transfer is the first Razorback since Knile Davis (2010) with a rushing TD in six consecutive games, including three with multiple scores.

Mississippi State QB Michael Van Buren Jr. has thrown a league-high six TD passes this month. The freshman is also the first Bulldogs signal caller with multiple scoring passes in consecutive games against ranked foes since Dak Prescott in 2014. He has completed 56% of his passes for 792 yards, including 692 on 60% accuracy in three starts since replacing injured Blake Shapen.

Facts & figures

The schools have split 16 games in Starkville, including MSU’s 40-17 win two years ago. … Arkansas QB Taylen Green has thrown for 1,741 of his 2,057 yards of offense and six of his 10 TDs. … Hogs LB Xavian Sorey ranks 10th in the SEC with 49 tackles, while Doneiko Slaughter is 14th with 45. … Bulldogs S Isaac Smith is tied for the SEC lead with 68 and ranks 10th in FBS.

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