Thumbs up

- MSU once again showed its resiliency. The Bulldogs trailed 21-7 at halftime but opened the second half with a 94-yard touchdown drive – all 11 plays were runs – and after Arkansas answered with a big TD, State came right back to draw within seven again.

MSU had chances to drive and tie the game but just couldn’t get it done thanks to a non-existent passing attack and a critical lost fumble late in the third quarter.

Thumbs down

- The Bulldogs’ secondary was shredded by Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett, who passed for 313 yards and five touchdowns. Three of his TD passes covered 39, 58 and 64 yards, proving once again that MSU’s pass defense is very susceptible to big plays.

While Mallett made some tough throws, the big gainers were to wide open receivers. He did throw two interceptions, but the rest of his game more than made up for those.

Keys to victory

Reviewing the three keys to victory in Saturday’s GameDay section:

- Don’t get hammered by Mallett: See above. MSU shouldn’t feel too bad, though. Mallett has torched many a defense en route to breaking several school records. He became the first Arkansas QB to surpass 3,000 yards in one season, and the five touchdowns tied his own school record.

- Hit the long ball: MSU threw for 49 yards, with Tyson Lee and Chris Relf a combined 8 of 13. The longest completion was 13 yards, and Lee was sacked four times in the first half. Arkansas entered the game as the SEC’s worst against the pass, but MSU made the Hogs’ secondary look air tight.

- Control the tempo: MSU did win the time of possession battle, 32:24 to 27:36. Effective running – 327 yards for the game – kept things close into the fourth quarter, but MSU’s scoring pace never could match Arkansas’.

MVP

- Anthony Dixon: The senior had another big day, rushing for 176 yards a year after racking up 179 on the Razorbacks. He scored twice and drew within 125 yards of J.J. Johnson’s school record for rushing yards in a season (1,383).

Bottom line

- The loss eliminated State from bowl consideration, and it exposed a lot of the holes that need to be filled, like youth and a lack of playmakers. But the Egg Bowl looms, and the Bulldogs should have no trouble getting fired up for that.

Brad Locke