It was just about this time last year when the Mississippi State Bulldogs traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks in what would turn out to be a very closely contested game. The Bulldogs came away victorious 24-17 in overtime in their first win in the state of Arkansas and were truly lucky to escape the state with the win. Quarterbacks Damian Williams and Tyler Russell both saw time under center, while Dak Prescott watched helplessly from the bench. The mood around Starkville was particularly bleak, as it was another year of seeing the football team with five wins or less going into the Egg Bowl, and there were even a couple of mutterings about head coach Dan Mullen’s job security. To put it simply, no one felt overly galvanized about the direction in which the football team was headed.        
Fast forward to this year’s SEC West clash with Arkansas, and it may be safe to say all of the built up animosity over the last couple of seasons has been put to rest. This would be because the Bulldogs are currently riding high as the newly-selected No. 1 team in the nation, according to the College Football Playoff selection committee, whose opinion is the one that will ultimately matter come December. 
While the ranking is a great accomplishment for the Mississippi State program, star running back Josh Robinson summed up the news by bluntly acknowledging the most important ranking won’t come until the end of the season.
“I mean it really doesn’t matter,” he said. “As long as we’re No. 1 at the end of the year because that’s all that we’re working towards.”
Josh Robinson was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week must be a main component for the explosive Bulldog’s offense, who are currently averaging 42.3 points per game for the season, if they want to look to remain one of only two teams in the entire nation to be still undefeated. This would be because the Razorbacks have been vulnerable in defending the run this season. They rank middle of the road in the SEC in this category, as well as in the bottom half in both sacks and interceptions. Look for the SEC leader in rushing yards and touchdowns to continue his stellar junior season this weekend, as the running lanes should be there, as they have been all year long.    
These same Razorback corners will next have to try and contain a Mississippi State passing attack that likes to spread the ball around. Whether it be De’Runnya Wilson, Jameon Lewis, Robert Johnson, Gabe Myles or Malcolm Johnson, the Bulldogs have numerous  offensive weapons capable of making big plays. If you couple this with the fact that Arkansas has relinquished the fourth-most passing yards of any team in the SEC at this point in the season, one may start to wonder if the potential is there for Dak Prescott to add another impressive showing to his Heisman resume.                     
Prescott, who has worn a protective boot over his left foot all week, was asked on Tuesday night how his foot felt and whether the injury would impact his play this weekend against Arkansas. The calm  quarterback shrugged off any notion of his injury being an issue come Saturday night.
“I’m fine. I don’t think I’ll have anything wrong with me come game time. It’s purely precautionary,” he said. “It’s just to make sure nothing else happens, so I’ll be all right.”   
Considered by many to be the current front runner for the Heisman, Prescott will look to bounce back from what, by his standards, may have been his worst showing of the season. He finished last weekend’s game against Kentucky with 212 yards passing and 88 yards rushing for the day. He also compiled three total touchdowns against one interception as the Bulldogs were able to pull out the 45-31 victory. 
Up until this point in the season, Prescott has been almost a certain lock to post at the minimum 200 yards passing and 80 rushing yards for the Bulldogs on a game-by-game basis.  He’s averaging 242 yards passing per game this season and 94 yards rushing as well and has a quarterback rating of 156.5 for his first seven games this year. Even with all of his eye popping stats, Prescott knows he can be even better. After examining the tape from last week’s win, Prescott pointed out a couple of areas he thinks he can improve going forward with the rest of the season. 
“I think me specifically, I can improve upon not hesitating in throwing the ball, getting it out of my hands and not being worried about making mistakes, as well as making quicker decisions,” he said. 
On the other side of the ball, the Bulldog’s defense struggled last weekend to contain Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles, who had a combined total of 466 yards and four touchdowns for the Wildcats. Luckily for MSU, the Razorbacks’ strength on offense is running the football, as they rank No. 11 in the entire country in rushing yards. This is good for the Bulldogs because their strength on defense is stopping the run. They have only give up on average 118 rushing yards to their opponents so far this season, making them one of the best teams in the nation in this category. At the end of the day, something has to give, and if the Bulldogs can halt the Razorbacks’ rushing attack and force junior quarterback Brandon Allen to put the game on his shoulders rather than their very good running back combination of Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins, then the Bulldogs will like their chances.  
Head coach Dan Mullen spoke very highly about the Razorbacks offense, and in particular, pointed toward their efficiency as something that gives most teams they play fits.
“On the offensive side of the ball, what makes it a challenge is how good they are on defense,” he said. “You don’t get many opportunities with the ball. They’ve got the biggest offensive line in the United States, including pro football. So they’re a big physical outfit. (They have) two of the top tailbacks in the country and two guys over 700 yards already this season at the tailback position and a quarterback that can really throw the football.”
One area of concern for the Bulldogs this season has been their pass defense, which has given up an average of 321.6 yards per game this season, ranking No. 118 in the country. While many have pointed to the fact the Bulldogs are so good at stopping the run that teams are constantly having to utilize the pass to move the ball against them, the fact State is No. 118 in defending the pass is still something to worry about. In particular, giving up big plays has contributed a lot to its overall problem, as over the last two games the Bulldog defense has given up six plays of 30 yards or longer to their opponents. If the Razorbacks find themselves in a position where they need to get themselves back into the game quickly, they could be able to look to their passing game as a means of doing so. 
The game begins at 6:15 p.m. Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium as the Bulldogs play hosts to the Arkansas Razorbacks. The game will be televised on ESPN2.