At last, Mississippi State Football is back on the docket after the bye week; the Bulldogs will head to Fayetteville to take on the Razorbacks of Arkansas in a must-win road test. Winless in Southeastern Conference play, Mississippi State and Arkansas are trying to find a spark with a win of any sort for the remainder of the season. On one side of the spectrum, you have Mississippi State, a team fresh off the bye week, hungry to prove they belong in the second half of the season. Then you have Arkansas, a team without an SEC win after playing four straight Southeastern Conference opponents. Neither team can afford a loss on Saturday, with both having so much to prove; Saturday’s matchup between the two is an old-fashioned matchup between the Bulldogs and Razorbacks with a lot on the line.

Mississippi State comes into Arkansas with a gigantic chip on its shoulder after the first three Southeastern Conference games went the other way. Two were to Alabama and LSU; the other came heartbreakingly on the road at South Carolina. Mississippi State got back in the win column on October 7th when the Bulldogs handled Western Michigan at home in the friendly confines of Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi.

On the Arkansas side, the Razorbacks have been close to finishing several games, but no cigar for Coach Pittman and his boys. Arkansas faces a similar challenge from a fan base unhappy with the production on the field this season. A loss on Saturday to Mississippi State and the Razorbacks will need to win the remaining games to earn a postseason trip.

For Mississippi State, the unknown of who’s healthy for the Bulldogs on Saturday haunts the Bulldog faithful heading into the matchup with Arkansas on Saturday. Word around the Mississippi State program is that Woody Marks and Will Rogers will be game-time decisions on Saturday as both fell victim to the injury bug that plagues the program this season. Mississippi State will likely have to lean on the leadership of the Vanderbilt transfer at quarterback Mike Wright to calm the waters against the Razorbacks on Saturday.

Saturday’s matchup will be an all-out rock fight between the Razorbacks and Bulldogs, with the Mississippi State defensive unit being the difference between a win and a loss. Mississippi State struggled with Jalen Milroe and Jayden Daniels earlier in the year, with a similar threat on Saturday as the Arkansas quarterback likes to create opportunities with his legs before tossing the rock over the middle of the defense for gigantic gains through the air. Between Jett Johnson and Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State will need other guys to step up to make plays to give the Bulldogs a chance at victory on Saturday morning against the Razorbacks of Arkansas.

Mississippi State and Arkansas will have the early game on Saturday morning with a national audience on ESPN.