ARKANSAS 44, MISSISSIPPI STATE 17 – GAME NOTES
Record Of 32
Arkansas quarter Tyler Wilson set another school record Saturday against Mississippi State.
Wilson was 32 of 43 for 365 yards with three touchdown passes. The 32 completions was a single-game record. His 32 completions eclipsed Joe Ferguson’s record of 31 during the 1971 season.
Wilson’s 3,215 passing yards in a season is the third-highest total in school history. He moved to No. 2 in completions (243) and is third in touchdown passes (21).
Wilson broke the single-game passing yardage record for a Razorback with 510 against Texas A&M this season and the 365 against Mississippi State was the second-best outing of his career.
Wright Over 1,000
Wide receiver Jarius Wright had 96 yards on eight catches Saturday against Mississippi State to put him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
Mark Buffalo • Arkansas News Bureau
Wright has 61 receptions for the season for 1,002 yards, which ranks second in school history behind Anthony Lucas’ 1,004 yards in 1998. Wright, who missed the Troy game with a strained knee, was averaging a 100.7 yards per game through last week to lead the SEC. He also went into his final in-state game leading the SEC in catches per game, at 5.9.
Small To Small
A first-quarter Arkansas touchdown drive started and ended with Kiero Small.
Small, the Razorback fullback on two-back sets, received the short kickoff after Mississippi State’s first-quarter field goal, then took the handoff seven plays later from Tyler Wilson for the touchdown with 1:34 left in the quarter. It was Small’s first carry from scrimmage this season.
Small is primarily a blocking fullback for the Razorbacks.
Cobi In The ‘Rock’
Cobi Hamilton has enjoyed unprecedented success in games played in Little Rock. The receiver caught a 20-yard touchdown pass on his first opportunity Saturday. It was his seventh touchdown catch in six games played at War Memorial Stadium. He has five touchdown catches in 30 other games.
For the game, he had four receptions for 36 yards.
Unbeaten At Home
The 44-7 win over Mississippi State completed a 7-0 record for the Razorbacks in games played at their two home stadiums in Fayetteville and Little Rock. Arkansas won five at Reynolds Razorback Stadium and defeated New Mexico and the Bulldogs at War Memorial Stadium.
It’s the first time the Razorbacks have been undefeated at home since 1999.
Wade Returns
Wide receiver Marquel Wade was back in uniform Saturday after missing two games and part of another. Wade was one of the deep backs on the opening kickoff, which went the Dennis Johnson.
He was on the kick return team and took over for Joe Adams as punt returner in the third quarter when Adams left the game after being poked in the eye. Wade also played sparingly at wide receiver.
Wade was ejected at Vanderbilt for a vicious hit on a punt returner before the ball arrived and suspended by the SEC the next week against South Carolina. Against Tennessee, Wade was not allowed to dress out for breaking a team rule.
Passing Defense
Critics of Arkansas’ pass defense may want to take a closer look: the Razorbacks had not allowed a touchdown by passing since the first quarter of the Vanderbilt game until a fourth-quarter TD from Dylan Favre to Malcolm Johnson. That’s 14 quarters without allowing a passing TD.
Favre’s pass was good for 13 yards with 15 seconds left in the game.
The Vanderbilt score was a 21-yard strike from Jordan Matthers from Jordan Rodgers.
Mark Buffalo • Arkansas News Bureau
November Hogs
Arkansas has won 11 of its last 12 games played in November. Its last loss was 2 years ago at Baton Rouge against LSU. Arkansas travels back to LSU on Friday for a nationally televised game.
WMS Good For WPS
The “Woo Pig Sooie” fans of Arkansas love games at War Memorial Stadium; apparently so do the players. With the victory over Mississippi State, the Razorbacks have won 10 in a row in Little Rock. The Razorbacks are 148-52-2 all-time at War Memorial Stadium.
CBS Ticket
Arkansas’ nationally televised game against Mississippi State on CBS marked the second time this season the network has focused on the Hogs for its 2:30 p.m. Saturday game. The Arkansas-Alabama game at Tuscaloosa also was on the network.
CBS gets first choice of SEC games each week. The Razorbacks will be back on the network for its next game — but it won’t be Saturday. Arkansas is at LSU on Friday; kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.
Captain Hill
Madre Hill, Razorback running back from 1994-95, 1998, was the honorary captain at War Memorial Stadium Saturday for the Arkansas-Mississippi State game.
Hill lost two seasons to injuries but rushed for 2,407 yards and 25 touchdowns in his career and was named to the All-Decade Team for the Razorbacks of the 1990s.
— Arkansas News Bureau
