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Mississippi State Football: Battle for SEC 2nd or 3rd in the SEC West

By Addison Thigpen

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - NOVEMBER 6: Dillon Johnson #23 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs runs the ball during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Stadium on November 6, 2021 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Bulldogs 31-28. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - NOVEMBER 6: Dillon Johnson #23 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs runs the ball during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Stadium on November 6, 2021 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Bulldogs 31-28. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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Mississippi State football is getting ready to open up their first game as a ranked team this season. They will host the Arkansas Razorbacks and SEC Nation in a game that is massive for both teams. Mississippi State is coming off of a big SEC W against Texas A&M, and Arkansas is coming off two tough back-to-back SEC losses. These are two teams that are fighting for the 3/4 spot in the SEC, and for either of them to do that this game is an absolute must-win.

One thing we don’t know for sure is if KJ Jefferson will be dressing out on Saturday. Personally, I think we will see him because of how important this game is and how crucial he is to their offense. KJ has accounted for 9 Total TDs so far this season and has racked up 1097 yds passing on 121 attempts and 312 yds rushing. KJ is very much a dual-threat QB, so if we do see him play on Saturday Zach Arnett better have his boys ready to stop the passing and rushing attack.

One thing we do know for certain is that Will Rogers’s stats look a little different. So far this season, Will has attempted 234 passes for 1715 yds passing and 19 TDs. Yes, you read that correctly – Will Rogers has thrown 19 TDs this year, which is currently tied for first in all of CFB. We won’t talk about Will’s rushing stats because there are none, and that is completely ok if he can keep up this level of production in the air. Will needs to light up the skies on Saturday if the Dawgs want to win this game, and I think the biggest key for him is making sure we at least answer anything Arkansas throws at us. Our defense will keep us in the fight, so it is going to fall on Will and the offense to finish this game.

I do think that Zach Arnett and the MSU Defense match up well against Arkansas. MSU has been very successful all season drawing up unique blitz packages and forcing the QB to either use his feet or make a tough throw. The problem that the Dawgs might run into is KJ Jefferson is an absolute playmaker and although he is not an all-star passer when he catches a little bit of fire, he is almost impossible to stop both in the air and on the ground. Also, I think it is important to note that while MSU has done a good job getting to the QB, they haven’t done the best job of bringing him to the ground. The entire reason LSU won was because of Jayden Daniels escaping the pocket and creating plays with his feet in the 2nd half. If the Dawgs want to win Saturday, they absolutely cannot let KJ consistently get yards like that. Our defense needs to stick to its scheme and we will put our boys in positions to make plays, and at the end of the day, they just have to do their job on every snap.

As I mentioned above, this is a huge week for both teams and the rest of their seasons. MSU has a chance to win two back-to-back SEC home games which would catapult their momentum going into the coming weeks. This would also put the Dawgs at 5-1 (2-1) on the season, which puts them 1 game away from bowl eligibility. On the other hand, Arkansas is looking to get back some fire after two tough SEC losses. A win for the Razorbacks this weekend would put them at 4-2 (2-2) on the season. Arkansas came into the season expecting to be a #2/3 team in the West and that has quickly deteriorated before their eyes. A win this weekend puts them back in the conversation, and it could do the same for the Dawgs too.

Prediction:

Overall, I think this is going to be a fun game to watch this weekend. My final score prediction is #23 Mississippi State 35 – 24 Arkansas. Personally, I think the Bulldogs win this game by at least 10.

Fanduel has the line at MSU -9.5, (Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change) and I am taking them to cover here.

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