After 742 long, grueling days, Mississippi State football has won an SEC game. The Bulldogs defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville 38-35 to end a 16-game SEC losing streak and give Jeff Lebby his first conference victory as head coach.
State trailed by 14 in the fourth quarter but ended the game with 17-straight points, completing their comeback with QB Blake Shapen finding WR Anthony Evans III for an 18-yard score on a fourth and five with 48 seconds remaining in the game. The MSU defense would send the Hog offense backwards on their ensuing possession, turning them over on downs to secure the victory.
Mississippi State is now 5-4 on the season and 1-4 in SEC play.
Being the more disciplined team was the difference for Mississippi State vs Arkansas
Mississippi State entered this game as the SEC's most penalized team, with mindless mistakes costing them in key moments regularly. But today, Arkansas was the team that lacked discipline on the field. The Razorbacks committed an ungodly 18 penalties for 193 yards, both the worst totals in their program's history.
They kept Bulldog scoring drives alive and ending their own chances at putting points on the boards with their mistakes. Meanwhile, MSU was penalized just four times for 30 yards. In a game between two teams that tend to find ways to lose, Arkansas found how to lose.
Jeff Lebby's decision to roll with Blake Shapen pays off
A hard hit to open the second-half sent Blake Shapen, who had struggled early on, to the injury tent and put freshman phenom Kamario Taylor on the field. Taylor proceeded to lead a pair of TD drives with electrifying plays. He had all the momentum, but against the wishes of the fanbase, Lebby turned the reigns back over the Shapen once he was cleared. That decision looked to have doomed the Bulldogs, with Shapen immediately throwing a pick and Arkansas going up 14 points in the fourth.
But then Blake Shapen proved his coach right. The veteran led the Bulldogs on three-straight scoring drives to end the game, putting 17 points on the board to comeback and ultimately get the win they so desperately needed. Shapen made big time throws down the stretch and made it clear why he's still Lebby's guy and will be for the remainder of this season.
The Bulldog defense once again did just enough
Mississippi State's defense has spent the entire season giving as much of a strong effort as one could ask for. They've given up plenty of yards and, occasionally, points, but they've continually found ways to make enough big plays to give the team a chance to win. That was the case again today.
Arkansas put up 433 yards and 35 points, frequently looking unstoppable. But twice the State defense held for field goals after allowing long drives, and they forced three-straight stops to end the game. Much of the year, the MSU offense has failed to hold of their end of the bargain and take advantage of the keys stops the defense made. Today they did, and the defense's effort finally paid off for a win.