STARKVILLE — Dak Prescott is optimistic about the Mississippi State football team’s final two weeks of the regular season.
The senior quarterback was sacked nine times Saturday in a 31-6 loss to No. 3 Alabama at Davis Wade Stadium. He said there are plenty of things MSU (7-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) can improve on before it faces Arkansas (6-4, 4-2) at 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) at Razorback Stadium, and that it remains focused on winning out.
“That’s our plan regardless of the results,” Prescott said. “We’ve got a chance to play in a bowl game. We’ve just got to make sure we play in a good bowl, a game we want to play in.”
MSU has won three-straight in the series against Arkansas, but it never has won in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
MSU dropped out of The Associated Press poll following the loss to Alabama. It is tied with Ole Miss at No. 25 in the Amway Coaches Top 25. The Bulldogs and Rebels will meet Nov. 28 in Starkville in the Egg Bowl.
MSU, which was ranked No. 17 in the College Football Playoff poll, will find out if it is still ranked in that poll when it is released at 6 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN).
MSU became bowl eligible Oct. 24 thanks to a 42-16 victory against Kentucky in Starkville. The Bulldogs figure to have locked up a school-record sixth-straight appearance in a bowl game after the regular season.
On Saturday, Alabama’s defensive front harassed MSU’s offensive line, while the Crimson Tide offense used a couple of big plays to claim the victory.
“We can’t let this loss determine who we are as a team,” MSU junior wide receiver Fred Ross said. “We’ve just got to keep moving.”
Junior running back Brandon Holloway said the Bulldogs will have to be ready to get back to work after a physical game against the Crimson Tide.
“We just keep fighting,” Holloway said. “That’s what we do. Our life revolves around relentless effort, so that’s not going to change anything for us.”
MSU coach Dan Mullen slipped to 0-7 against Alabama. He is 3-3 against Arkansas.
It loss capped a tough week for MSU, which dealt with the loss of freshman defensive lineman Keith Joseph Jr. and his father, Keith Sr., a former Bulldog, who were killed in a one-car accident Nov. 6.
“We’ve got to move forward,” Mullen said. “We’ve got to find a way to get better as a team, continue to improve, and get ready to go play next week.”
After losing four of five from Sept. 12-Oct. 10, Arkansas has won four-straight games. The losses were to Toledo, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Alabama. The victories have come against UTEP, Tennessee, Auburn, Tennessee-Martin, Ole Miss, and LSU. Arkansas beat Auburn in four overtimes, stunned Ole Miss in overtime, and took down LSU 31-14 on Saturday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Razorbacks are averaging 469.3 yards per game (203 rushing and 266.3 passing).
“Playing in the SEC, you have to be ready every week,” Bulldog junior safety Kivon Coman said. “We’ve got a big game ahead of us. Arkansas (is) pretty good, so we’ve got to put this behind us and move forward.”
The Razorbacks are allowing 404.7 yards per game, which is 12th in the SEC. Arkansas is giving up 122.4 yards rushing per game and 282.3 yards passing, which is last in the SEC.
Prescott has thrown for 2,651 yards and 18 touchdowns.
“We’ve got another good game next week and a road game,” Prescott said. “We can’t be down on this too long. We’ve had a tough week as a team, but we’ve just got to continue to get better and find a way to move on and be better next weekend.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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