Hopes were so high after the Tennessee win. Fans were hyped, as you could tell by the atmosphere in Donald W. Reynolds last Saturday. People were actually talking about Arkansas as a fringe College Football Playoff team. It felt amazing! And then it didn't.
The Razorbacks' loss to LSU was like reality collectively smacking the fanbase back down to earth. There is one good thing about the game — with the delusions of grandeur out of the way, now we can focus on the future. And the future is Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs are 1-6, but don't let that record fool you. Mississippi State is coming off back-to-back games against Georgia and Texas A&M, two of the best teams in the conference, losing by 10 points in each. Georgia allowed State to put up 31 points, while the Aggies didn't pull away until the second half. Part of the reason they seem to be improving is the Bulldogs' backup quarterback, Michael Van Buren Jr., replacing the injured Blake Shapen.
It would be Arkansas's luck to meet Mississippi State when it's getting hot, but we've crossed enemy lines to find out if that's the case. The site expert for Maroon and White Nation, Andrew Miller, gives us the inside information on the Bulldogs.
Q & A with Maroon and White Nation's site expert Andrew Miller
Q: One of the things that separates the SEC from the other Power Four conferences is talent in the trenches. How do you see that matchup shaking out between Arkansas and Mississippi State?
A: Well, if we're judging teams based on talent in the trenches, you wouldn't classify Mississippi State as a SEC team, to put it bluntly. For a program that's traditionally been strong along the lines of scrimmage, State has been awful along both the offensive and defensive lines this year.
Offensively, they cannot pass protect at all, and while they've slowly gotten better run blocking, they're not yet at a point where they can lean on the ground game. Defensively, pass rush is nonexistent, and they've consistently gotten pushed around against opposing rushing attacks. Considering Arkansas' talent along the DL and the strength of their run game, the Hogs look to have a massive edge in the trenches.
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