Mississippi State (4-1, 1-1 SEC) is set host on Arkansas (3-2, 1-2 SEC) 11 a.m. Saturday on SEC Network.
We talked to Mason Choate of Rivals' HawgBeat to gain some insight on the Razorbacks. Here is what Choate had to say on Arkansas vs. Mississippi State:
What is KJ Jefferson’s status and what is Arkansas’ plan at quarterback if Jefferson is ruled out?
As of the time I’m writing this sentence, KJ Jefferson’s status is “wait and see”, meaning questionable.
Sam Pittman mentioned that Jefferson has gone through all of the team meetings this week and he was at practice on Monday and Tuesday, but he did not participate.
The cut-off day for Jefferson is Wednesday, meaning if he doesn’t practice Wednesday, he won’t play. Pittman mentioned in his Wednesday press conference that he expects Jefferson to participate at some capacity in practice, but he doesn’t know for sure. If he participates Wednesday, he will be on the plane for Starkville.
With that said, if Jefferson doesn’t play it’s going to be Cade Fortin as the starter. Fortin has been the No. 2 quarterback for “a while now”, per Pittman, despite the fact that Malik Hornsby has been in the system for two years longer than Fortin.
When Jefferson exited the game against Alabama last Saturday, Fortin filled in for him. It seems like the staff prefers him as a passer and game-manager over Hornsby, who is an elite athlete and has spent some time at wide receiver early in the season.
Rocket Sanders currently leads the SEC with 609 rushing yards. What makes him such an effective running back?
Sanders does a great job of finding a crease and then exploding through the hole. Once he finds an opening, you better wrap him up. He’s had his fair share of big plays this season, especially early on.
Sanders is a legit SEC running back that is great at bouncing off tackles and keeping his legs moving through contact. He also spent time as a receiver in high school, and he’s been a great receiving back for the Hogs so far this season. Arkansas also has the luxury of having four talented running backs. That allows Sanders to get a breather if needed, but so far this season he’s been the feature back for the Hogs.
Arkansas currently ranks 124th is passing yards allowed per game. What has gone wrong for the Hogs in the secondary how do you think they will match up with Mississippi State’s Air Raid?
The simple answer is injuries. The Hogs lost star safety Jalen Catalon and cornerback LaDarrius Bishop to season-ending injuries in the first two weeks of the season.
Talented nickel Myles Slusher missed Week 2 and 3 and now he is questionable for Saturday against the Bulldogs. Safety Latavious Brini has also had a nagging ankle injury at times.
Though injuries have hurt the Hogs, the loss of your star safety and a second team corner shouldn’t make your defense this bad. There have been a lot of issues with tackling that have led to yards after the catch, and the secondary really struggles to keep receivers in front of them.
It’s safe to say that the matchup against Will Rogers and the air raid is not a good one for Arkansas. I’m not really sure what the Hogs can do to stop it, but Barry Odom is a talented defensive coordinator and he will have a game plan.
Arkansas leads the SEC with 21 sacks this season. What has made their pass rush so disruptive?
I think the success of the pass rush boils down to a two things.
First, transfer players have been extremely valuable. Things start with Alabama transfer linebacker Drew Sanders, who leads the country with 6.5 sacks. Georgia Tech transfer Jordan Dominick is No. 15 in the nation with 4.5 sacks. LSU transfer Landon Jackson has 2.5 sacks and he’s emerged as a starting defensive end.
Second, the secondary has been so bad that the Hogs have to blitz. Odom has sent more pressure this season than he did his first two seasons in Fayetteville and it’s to make up for the struggles on the back end.
They will likely send plenty of heat towards Rogers on Saturday.
Lastly, what are your keys to the game and your final score prediction?
The biggest key for Arkansas has to be the question at quarterback. If Jefferson plays, he’s going to have to be on his A-game. If he doesn’t, they are going to have to hope that Fortin and/or Hornsby step up in a big way.
The Razorbacks’ defense is not going to keep Mississippi State from scoring. Though I want to think that the Bulldogs will light up the scoreboard and run away with it, Pittman and Odom have had Leach’s number the past two seasons.
Turnovers on offense have killed the Hogs the past two weeks — the Jefferson fumble against Texas A&M was much bigger than the Rashod Dubinion fumble against Alabama, but both were huge momentum plays.
Arkansas will need to play a clean game on offense and force Rogers to make mistakes. I just don’t see the defense forcing enough mistakes for the Hogs to win.
Prediction: Mississippi State 41, Arkansas 30
