MSU Bulldogs break Hogs, losing streak
Turnovers, TD passes fuel 2nd-half run
MISSISSIPPI STATE 45, ARKANSAS 14
Wilson finished the game 23 of 29 for 225 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Johnson finished with 88 yards rushing. Hamilton finished with seven catches for 88 yards.
Arkansas held the momentum until a botched punt reception with 10 minutes left in the first half led to a MSU field goal. After a defensive stop, the Bulldogs drove 78 yards in five plays and Russell hit Chad Bumphis for his SECleading ninth touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 17-14 lead at the half.
“With a quarterback like Tyler Wilson, it’s hard to blitz a lot,” Mullen said. “If he gets you, he’s going to get you big. Being able to stop the run helped out our pass defense tremendously.”
Bumphis finished with six catches, two for touchdowns, setting a singleseason school record. He said the Bullies were disappointed in their firsthalf play.
“We were frustrated because we didn’t play our best first half,” Bumphis said. “Coach Mullen made adjustments and we executed better.”
In the third quarter, Mullen gambled on a fourth- and- one inside the Arkansas 5-yard line, and backup quarterback Dak Prescott ran it in for a touchdown to put the Bulldogs up 24-14.
“I want to go for it every time,” Mullen said. “The thought was to get the first down. The players said that’s the call they wanted, and they were ready to get after it.”
Arkansas’s offense continued to struggle in the second half. The Hogs failed on a fourth down conversion in Bulldog territory late in the third quarter and then, after forcing a three-and-out, fumbled their first play from scrimmage. Two plays later, Russell hit Perkins again for a 24-yard score.
“We wore down defensively and Mississippi State was able to throw the ball on us and run the ball on us,” Arkansas interim coach John L. Smith said.
After another Arkansas turnover, Russell hit Bumphis for another score to start the fourth quarter.
Three minutes later, after a Darius Slay interception, Nick Griffin got loose for a 60-yard TD run to give Mississippi State its final margin of victory.