November 20, 2009
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State Football Bulldogs will hit the road on Saturday looking for their fourth-straight road victory as they face the Arkansas Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Game time is set for 11:21 and will be televised by the SEC Network.
The Bulldogs (4-6, 2-4 SEC) enter Saturday's contest having split their last four games. State was victorious on the road at Middle Tennessee and Kentucky but dropped home matchups to top-ranked Florida and 2nd-ranked Alabama.
Led by senior running back Anthony Dixon, the Mississippi State ground game continues to rank among the nation's best. The Bulldogs rank 15th nationally on the ground, averaging 208.7 yards a game. Dixon's average of 120.2 yards a game on the ground ranks second in the SEC.
Defensively, senior linebacker Jamar Chaney ranks fifth in the SEC in tackles, averaging 8.1 a game. Junior defensive end Pernell McPhee has registered nine tackles for loss this season which ranks ninth in the league.
Arkansas comes into Saturday's game with a 6-4 mark, 2-4 in the conference. The Razorbacks have won three straight, all at home. Arkansas leads the SEC in scoring offense, total offense and passing offense. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Mallett leads all SEC quarterbacks, averaging 288.2 yards a game through the air. He has thrown 23 touchdowns this season with only four interceptions.
Arkansas leads the all-time series with Mississippi State 12-6-1. UA leads 4-0-1 in Little Rock. The Razorbacks had won nine straight in the series until the Bulldogs upended UA 31-28 last season in Starkville.
Courtesy: mstateathletics.com
