LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns, leading the No. 6 Razorbacks to a 44-17 win over Mississippi State at War Memorial Stadium.
The Razorbacks (10-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) racked up 539 yards and won their seventh consecutive game. The victory set the stage for a showdown at top-ranked LSU.
“I’m very proud of our football team,” coach Bobby Petrino said. “We came out and executed well in all three phases. It’s going to be fun to have our preparation for a nice big game coming up on Friday.”
The win locked up consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 1989.
“I think we’re playing really good football,” Petrino said. “We’ve got a lot of guys back healthy. We’re running the ball well. We’re throwing it well. Defensively we’re doing a great job of stopping the run and getting after the quarterbacks.”
The Hogs allowed just 211 yards of offense and held Mississippi State without a first down for more than 30 minutes after the Bulldogs cut Arkansas’ lead to 14-10.
“We’re really stopping the run on first and second down and really getting a lot of pressure on third down,” senior defensive end Jake Bequette. “We had a lot of opportunities for sacks. This game was all about stopping the run. We did that, forced them to throw the ball, which they’re not comfortable doing.
“That’s been the key the last three weeks, is take away the run game, force them into third and longs, either get sacks or make them throw it up to guys like (safeties) Eric Bennett and Tramain Thomas who are ballhawks back there.”
Wilson surpassed the 3,000-yard mark in the game, the third straight season a Razorbacks’ quarterback has eclipsed the mark and also just the third time in school history.
“I like throwing it,” Wilson said. “We spread them out a little bit, especially there at halftime. We just kind of walked the ball down the field, it seemed like. We were taking what they were giving us, and it’s nice to do that.”
Junior tight end Chris Gragg had a career-high 119 yards on eight catches, including a 2-yard touchdown. Senior receiver Jarius Wright had eight catches for 96 yards, while junior receiver Cobi Hamilton and senior receiver Joe Adams caught touchdown passes.
“Once (Wilson) gets in rhythm, it’s kind of hard to get him off it because there are so many different receivers, the defense can’t key on one guy,” offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said. “He could check down and throw it to the running back, or check down and throw it to the outside receiver. It’s just a great thing to see him going like that.”
The Hogs scored 10 points in the final 2:04 of the first half to take a 24-10 halftime lead, then scored 10 more in the third quarter to take control of the game.
“We knew we had to finish strong,” Gragg said. “We knew with our fast-paced offense, if we got out there and went fast, we could get some scores up there on the board before half. We did that.”
Arkansas outgained Mississippi State 339-107 in the first half, but a pair of fumbles in the red zone and a blocked field goal thwarted two scoring opportunities and kept the Bulldogs within striking distance.
“We had a chance early to get a few more points on the board,” Petrino said. “We had the blocked field goal and then the fumble, so there’s two drives that ended up in no points. Other than that, I thought we executed well.”
Mississippi State (5-6, 1-6) cut the deficit to 14-10 on quarterback Dylan Favre’s 5-yard touchdown run, a score set up by the Razorbacks’ first fumble
The Hogs struck quickly on their ensuing possession, extending their lead to 21-10 when Wilson found Adams for a 32-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone.
Arkansas forced a three-and-out then stretched the lead to 24-10 on Hocker’s 44-yard field goal with five seconds left in the half.
The Razorbacks kept the Bulldogs off balance by establishing the run. Junior running back Dennis Johnson gained 98 yards on 21 carries.
He had 132 all-purpose yards after entering the game averaging 176.8 his last four.
“He’s really running the ball well for us,” Petrino said. “He’s doing a nice job in his preparation. Practicing with speed. Seeing things real well. We know he’s hard to tackle. I’ve been really happy with Dennis and he’s become a leader for us, also.”