2015 Mississippi State Football Rewind: Arkansas

Nov 21, 2015; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver De

Now that the season is over, we take a look back at each game and how it played out.

The Setup

Would Mississippi State be able to recover? This was the biggest question facing the Bulldogs as they entered Fayetteville. Teams who had just played Alabama don’t usually fare too well in their next game, so a lot of fans thought this game was over before it started.

What was being ignored headed into this game was a really good battle between two of the best quarterbacks in the league. Dak Prescott’s exploits had been well documented, but Brandon Allen had a breakthrough year in 2015. The two were likely going to light up the scoreboard.

Key Stats and Final Score

• Mississippi State Yards
  • Passing: 508
  • Rushing: 123
• Arkansas Yards
  • Passing: 406
  • Rushing: 73
• Mississippi State Stand Out Performances
  • Dak Prescott: 38/50, 508 Passing Yards, 5 Touchdowns, 1 Interception, 2 Rushing Touchdowns
  • Fred Ross: 10 Receptions, 154 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
  • Brandon Holloway: 14 Carries, 63 Yards, 4 Receptions, 101 Yards, 1 Touchdown
  • De’Runnya Wilson: 10 Catches, 93 Yards, 1 Touchdown
• Arkansas Stand Out Performances
  • Brandon Allen: 30/43, 406 Yards, 7 Touchdowns
  • Hunter Henry: 7 Receptions, 129 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
• Final Score: Mississippi State 51, Arkansas 50

What we thought at the time

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Talk about your wild games. Arkansas jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, but Mississippi State would answer with one of their own. The two would trade touchdowns one more time and then Mississippi State went on a 17-0 scoring run in the second quarter where it looked like they had iced the game. But right before half time, Arkansas would cut the lead to 10 and gave themselves some momentum.

Then all hell broke loose.

Mississippi State committed 3 turnovers on its first three possessions of the second half, and Arkansas was given incredible field on Mississippi State’s side of the field. They turned every single one of them into a touchdown, and what was once a 17 point Mississippi State lead was now an Arkansas 11 point lead, 42-31.

Once Mississippi State settled down, things started rolling for them again. The Bulldogs scored the next two touchdowns but a missed extra point meant the Bulldogs only led by two instead of three. Arkansas went quickly down the field on the next possession and scored another touchdown, and opted to go for two to make their lead 6 instead of 5. The Razorbacks now led 50-44.

Mississippi State answered that touchdown drive with one of their own and took a 51-50 lead with just over three minutes to play. And that was when things got interesting.

Arkansas marched to the Mississippi State 12 yard line and set themselves up for a 29 yard field goal to potentially win the game. Beniquez Brown had other thoughts though. He asked to go in on Special Teams because he believed he could make a play. He ran over the blocker in front of him and easily blocked the field goal attempt and preserved Mississippi State’s 8th win of the season.

What we should have thought now the season is over

It was easily one of the most entertaining games I have ever watched. Would I be saying that if it hadn’t come out in Mississippi State’s favor? I don’t know, but it did so I am.

The defense was a huge red flag though. We were getting ready to take on one of the most potent offenses in the SEC and our defense was struggling to stop anyone. It did not bode well for the Egg Bowl.