It has been an extraordinary ride for Mississippi State’s 2008 football signing class.
After going through what senior cornerback Corey Broomfield described as “the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows,” State’s seniors will be honored before taking the field at Davis Wade Stadium one last time Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
“It means a lot,” Broomfield said. “One thing I can say is the fan base, the state and the school have been behind us the whole way.”
Nick Bell will be remembered prior to Saturday’s game, along with the other seniors who will be honored. Bell, who lost a courageous fight against synovial sarcoma in November 2010, was part of MSU’s 2008 signing class and would have been playing his final game in Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday.
In addition to remembering Bell, the north end zone on Scott Field will read “Nick Bell 36” to remember the former MSU defensive end. Throughout the week, several of State’s current players and coaches, including head coach Dan Mullen, talked about Bell and his everlasting effect on MSU’s football program. 
“That is probably the most significant thing that’s happened during my coaching career,” Mullen said of Bell’s death. “It’ll be a great opportunity to thank Nick’s mom, who’s always with us, continues to support everything we’ve done and say another goodbye to him on Saturday.”
Senior Cameron Lawrence said remembering Bell as a part of the senior class will be special.
“You can’t ever honor him enough,” Lawrence said. “Nick was a great guy. I’m glad we’re still keeping him in mind every time we take the field.”
While Bell was officially part of MSU’s 2008 signing class along with Broomfield, they saw their first on-field action in 2009, when current seniors, such as Lawrence, cornerback Johnthan Banks, defensive tackle Josh Boyd and wide receivers Chad Bumphis and Chris Smith saw significant playing time as true freshmen.
Since arriving at State, the class of 2013 has recorded an overall record of 28-20 and has accumulated bowl wins in consecutive seasons, a feat that had not been done at MSU since the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
“This is the last home game for our seniors,” Mullen said. “This is my first recruiting class, and I think they’re leaving one of the most successful classes in school history.”         
Along with current seniors, MSU’s 2009 recruiting class also featured Pernell McPhee, Chris White and Fletcher Cox, all of whom are now playing in the NFL.
State’s seniors will certainly leave Mississippi State as one of the most accomplished classes in MSU’s football history, but one thing the class has failed to do is beat the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Since Mullen’s arrival at MSU, the Bulldogs are 0-3 against the Razorbacks and have been outscored by combined margin of 124-69. This could certainly change Saturday, though, when the 4-6 Razorbacks travel to Starkville.
Arkansas’s 2012 season took an unexpected turn months before the season even started. On April 10, Bobby Petrino was fired as head coach of the Razorbacks after reports of an extra-marital affair with an employee in the athletic department at the University of Arkansas surfaced.
Although its head coach had a less-than-admirable and sudden exit from the university, expectations had never been so high for the Razorbacks, who returned several key starters on both sides of the ball. The football program awarded the head coaching position to John L. Smith, a long-time coach who had previously orchestrated the special teams at UA from 2009 to 2011.
The results on the field, though, have been less than spectacular for the Razorbacks. After being upset at home against Louisiana Monroe, UA was thrashed by Alabama 52-0, and the game went down in Arkansas’s record books as one of the worst losses in the program’s history. The Razorbacks also lost to Rutgers, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and South Carolina, marking one of the biggest collapses in the history of college football by a team ranked in the preseason top 10.
While Arkansas has had a disappointing season, Banks said the Razorbacks remain talented, especially on offense.
“They have a really good quarterback in Tyler Wilson,” Banks said. “They have pretty good receivers and a really good receiver in Cobi Hamilton. They’re going to do what they do, and we’re going to try and defend it.”
Wilson, a senior, has thrown for 2,803 yards during the 2012 season. Much of the quarterback’s yardage has come through Hamilton, another senior, who has 73 receptions for 1,149 yards and four touchdowns.
Saturday’s game at Davis Wade Stadium is slated to kick off at 11:21 a.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network.