Commentary on Arkansas-Miss State

The Arkansas Razorbacks won tonight over Mississippi State by a score of 38-31, in double-overtime.

It was a real nail-biter. In fact, I think this game was one of the most fascinating of the season to me for a number of reasons.

Here's the first: I had the Hogs' offensive output almost pegged (they ended up with 38 points, whereas I had them at 35). It was Mississippi State that I significantly underestimated: I only thought they'd manage around 17 points, whereas they put 31 on the board and very nearly won at the end of regulation. Here's the reason why: Except for a chunk of time in the middle of the second half, Mississippi State dictated the pace of this game. They were able to dominate time of possession and their bread-and-butter running game did (by and large) what it needed to do. HC Dan Mullen went with what he had, and he used his team's talents well.

There were fluke mistakes on both sides of the ball (e.g., Knile Davis' fumble late in the 4th and the MSU running back's fumble into the end zone in the first OT). But in the end, none of the flukes by either team ended up deciding the game. The end of the game was a microcosm of each the game plan that each team knew it would have to rely upon: Arkansas' passing attack and MSU's methodical run-dominated offense. It just turned out that Arkansas managed to eke out the victory in the second OT, thanks to the fantastic final stop by its two stellar DE's.

In short, the game was played as everyone thought it would be. Each team knew its strengths, depended on them, and just lined up to play 4 quarters and 2 OT's of smashmouth football. It was the SEC at its best in that regard.

The second thing I think was interesting was the way in which Arkansas showed the ability to win on the road despite a number of mistakes. For people who follow Arkansas football, it was a sign of how different this team is than last year's squad. In the past, neither Mallett (individually) nor the team (as a whole) really had the ability to get over the hump in games like this on the road.

But not this year. A Mallett interception in the second half, a late-game fumble, and a missed FG in OT were all playing against the Hogs. Plus, the Bulldogs dominated time of possession and the Razorbacks incurred a whole lot more penalty yards. And yet, in the end Arkansas got the victory. This is a different Arkansas Razorbacks football team.

They've now earned road wins over Georgia, South Carolina, and Mississippi State, plus a neutral-site victory over Texas A&M. When was the last time an Arkansas team had the ability to get that many wins on the road?

And finally, it was nice to see the kind of games turned in by the two Razorbacks I featured in my pre-game blog post. Both RB Knile Davis and TE D.J. Williams had outstanding games. Davis ran for 191 yards, with 2 rushing TDs and 1 receiving TD. Williams caught four balls for 70 yards and a TD, and his TD catch was one of the best runs-after-the-catch that I've ever seen him have.

All in all, it was a hard-fought win and one for which the Razorbacks should be proud. They're now 9-2, with an SEC record of 5-2. The final regular-season contest will be a tough home matchup against LSU in Little Rock.