STARKVILLE — Bret Bielema was frustrated.
Bielema, the second-year Arkansas football coach, had just watched his Razorbacks dictate tempo, dominate time of possession, and hit every mark on the coaching staff’s checklist to beat No. 1 Mississippi State on Saturday night.
It still wasn’t enough.
Despite a spirited effort from Arkansas that included nearly 39 minutes of possession and a defense that forced three turnovers, MSU remained perfect thanks to a 17-10 victory. It has been that kind of year for the Bulldogs, who won despite playing their sloppiest game of the season.
“I thought it was two very good football teams,” said MSU coach Dan Mullen, whose team improved to 8-0 and 5-0 in the Southeastern Conference. “That team over there, they are good. I think we just made one more play than they did.”
As far as which play that was, that remains in question, as the Bulldogs took turns delivering memorable plays to rally from a 10-0 deficit. After MSU’s defense allowed a touchdown on a short field in the second quarter — Arkansas drove 20 yards after an MSU turnover — it then pitched a shutout and the offense did enough to get the victory.
The result provided a snapshot of where the programs are, as MSU seemingly can’t lose — the Bulldogs have won 11-straight games — and the Razorbacks seemingly can’t win, as evidenced by a 17-game losing streak in SEC action. The Razorbacks have lost their last 12 SEC games. Bielema’s Razorbacks also have lost to Alabama 14-13 and fell in overtime to Texas A&M.
“Unfortunately came out on the wrong end of another really close game,” Bielema said. “Give a lot of credit to Mississippi State, a very, very good football team, deserves the No. 1 ranking. Came to play, as I think all of our guys did, probably in the end did too many things against ourselves.”
Though closer than most MSU fans would like, the come-from-behind win allowed the Bulldogs to showcase an ability to win when playing a sub-par game. The Bulldogs their first seven games convincingly and led the SEC in margin of victory in conference play entering the weekend.
But Arkansas slowed MSU in nearly every facet, holding MSU to season lows in points, total yards, rushing yards, and time of possession. The Razorbacks also poked and prodded at a weakness — turnovers — that has crept up on the Bulldogs but hasn’t cost the team a game yet.
“Way too many turnovers,” Mullen said. “On the interceptions … I don’t think (quarterback Dak Prescott) has had a lot of bad interceptions this year. Tonight, those two picks weren’t good. I’ll have to get in the film room and talk to him, see what he was thinking on those plays. Sometimes you get caught up in the heat of a play and you make a mistake. Sometimes you just make a bad read. We will talk about that, and I guarantee you Dak is a guy that will be in here first thing tomorrow working on fixing those mistakes.”
Though Prescott struggled at times — both interceptions came in the first half — he also flashed moments of brilliance.
In the fourth quarter, with the score deadlocked at 10, Prescott flashed his resolve and ability, dashing to his left to elude the pass rush before heaving a 69-yard pass to a wide-open Fred Ross. The sophomore wide receiver from Tyler, Texas, made the catch and scored what proved to be the game-winner.
“That was a great play by Dak,” Ross said. “I knew when the DB messed up the assignment, I was going to be wide open. It was all about catching the ball, and Dak made a great throw.”
Prescott passed for a career-high 331 yards and rushed for 64 more.
Ross, who had four catches for 107 yards, wasn’t the only underclassman to emerge. Sophomore defensive tackle Chris Jones had MSU’s only sack, and junior cornerback Will Redmond had a game-clinching interception in the end zone with 15 seconds left.
“Will’s number was called tonight,” Mullen said, “and he went out and made a play.”
When Prescott and the offense took the field after Redmond’s interception, the junior quarterback dropped to a knee to run the clock out, triggering the celebration that helped MSU move to 8-0 for the first time since 1999. The victory also helped the Bulldogs earn their fifth SEC win and clinch their first winning SEC season under Mullen. The sixth-year coach led MSU to 4-4 finishes in the SEC in 2010, 2012.
Still No. 1
On Sunday afternoon, the polls suggested voters had few problems with the seven-point win. For the fourth-straight week, MSU remained the nation’s top-ranked team in the Amway Coaches Poll (USA Today) and The Associated Press Top 25.
MSU received 45 first-place votes in The AP poll and 40 first-place votes in the coaches poll. The SEC’s five highest-ranked teams in The AP poll are: No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 Alabama, No. 12 Ole Miss, and No. 14 LSU.
MSU has been ranked for seven-straight weeks, the longest stretch since 2012. In addition to sitting atop the national polls, MSU was No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Committee’s Top 25 rankings, which was released last week. The new committee rankings will be announced at 6:30 Tuesday night on ESPN.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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