A lot on the line for Arkansas, Mississippi State

The Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. — The trip from Fayetteville, Ark., to Starkville, Miss., is long, boring and nap-inducing, but Arkansas players intend to be wide awake when they step off the bus Saturday.

“Any time you go down there to Mississippi State, it’s kind of a sleepy atmosphere,” Razorbacks center Jonathan Luigs said. “It’s tough to get up for those games, but we’re going to have to play our best.”

That’s a must for Arkansas (4-6, 1-5 Southeastern Conference), which can salvage a disappointing season by winning its last two games at Mississippi State (3-7, 1-5) and against No. 18 LSU to clinch bowl eligibility.

“I’ve played here two years and I’ve played in two bowl games,” defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard said. “I couldn’t imagine not playing in one this year. Hopefully it doesn’t stop this year. Nobody wants to be sitting at home around Christmas and watching everyone else play. It’s definitely motivation for us to get to a bowl game.”

Mississippi State’s got motivation as well, though not the same kind. The Bulldogs dropped out of contention for a second straight bowl berth with last week’s 32-7 loss to No. 1 Alabama, but coach Sylvester Croom thinks the team still has plenty to fight for.

This is not the season Croom and the Bulldogs envisioned after last year’s Liberty Bowl victory. They have been hit with off-field issues, season-ending injuries, a lackluster offense and frustrating mistakes.

That doesn’t mean Mississippi State’s upward arc under Croom has to halt.

“There’s always something to play for,” Croom said. “You play to win a game. That’s what it’s about: To win the game you play. That’s all it’s ever about: respect and winning and walking off the field as the best team.”

The Bulldogs also need to play well in their final home game to keep Croom’s 2009 recruiting class together. Several high-profile recruits have given Mississippi State nonbinding oral commitments and there will be other potential Bulldogs in attendance Saturday.

“This recruiting year is absolutely critical for the future of this program because it will give us three very good recruiting years,” Croom said.

“Right now this class we already have committed to us, we have some top-quality players already in there. For us to have a quality program in the future, we have to maintain that class because it is a critical year for us in recruiting.”

Snap the nine-game winning streak to the Razorbacks and the Bulldogs will look pretty good. Lose and it will look like Mississippi State is right back where it started with the very real possibility of a seventh season of three wins or less since 2000.

A few weeks ago, Arkansas had little hope of a reason to get excited about the trip to Starkville. But a 30-23 win over then-No. 19 Tulsa three weeks ago has helped keep the Razorbacks’ slim bowl hopes alive despite losing three of their last four under new coach Bobby Petrino. And a bye last weekend allowed the SEC’s No. 2 rusher, Michael Smith (shoulder), and starting quarterback Casey Dick (concussion), the league’s No. 2 passer, to heal.

Petrino was expected to decide Friday whether Dick or his younger brother, Nathan, would start against the Bulldogs. Nathan Dick came in and played well against South Carolina two weeks ago after Casey Dick was knocked out of the game.

The Razorbacks also should have defensive lineman Adrian Davis (knee) back, which will help with Arkansas’ plan of shutting down Anthony Dixon and Mississippi State’s struggling running game. The Bulldogs have averaged just 77.3 yards rushing per SEC game this year and Dixon has rushed for 673 yards a year after becoming the first sophomore at the school to gain more than 1,000 yards.

“I know as a defensive line everyone’s going to step their game up,” Sheppard said. “I feel that it’s up to us to win this game. Mississippi State loves to run the ball and if we can stop the run we have the best chance of winning.”