The easiest Arkansas football bet of the offseason has already cashed.
While those who didn’t pounce on the 4.5-win line are still waiting around for the Razorbacks to clear 5.5, there’s no suspense for a different prop bet.
In just eight games, Taylen Green has already surpassed the 2,050.5 passing yards set as his over/under by Prize Picks — and he did it in style. The 6-foot-6 quarterback completed 23 of 29 passes for 314 yards and five touchdowns in the Razorbacks’ 58-25 win over Mississippi State.
He is just the fifth different player in Arkansas football history with five touchdown passes in a single game and the first to do it against an SEC team since Brandon Allen had a school-record seven against Mississippi State in 2015.
“That’s the guy that I’ve seen since he got here,” Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman said. “If we can play better around him, the guy’s incredible, I think. Like I said before, I wouldn’t trade him for anybody.”
It was the third straight efficient passing performance by Green after a rough stretch of low completion percentages. Against Tennessee, LSU and Mississippi State, he went 63 of 87 (72.4%) — a stark improvement from the previous four games in which he failed to exceed 60% in any individual outing and went a combined 72 of 139 (51.8%).
Green did have an interception against the Bulldogs, but what separated his performance from his last few games was that he got involved in the run game again. After finishing with a combined minus-9 yards on 28 carries over the last three games, he ran for 79 yards and a touchdown on just eight carries Saturday.
Not running against LSU was by design, as he was still recovering from a bone bruise suffered two weeks earlier against Tennessee, but it was a point of emphasis to get that part of his game going again against Mississippi State.
“I told Coach (Bobby) Petrino, I want to say yesterday, that I’m going to run 22 miles per hour,” Green said. “I probably didn’t get that, but we’re going to see. … That’s my big thing for me, to display both running and passing today, so just got to keep it moving.”
Through eight games, Green has completed 60.6% of his passes for 2,056 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions, plus added 395 yards and five scores on 95 carries.
It’s already the 18th 2,000-yard passing season in UA history and he’s on pace to become just the fifth different Arkansas football player to eclipse the 3,000-yard mark in a single season. He’s also on track to become just the seventh Arkansas quarterback to reach 500 rushing yards in a single season.
No player has ever hit both milestones in the same year for the Razorbacks.
Hogs Snap Quarter-Century Drought
Keeping things on the gambling front, Arkansas was a 7-point favorite at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday, according to BetSaracen.
That’s notable because it was the first time the Razorbacks have been favored by at least a touchdown in a true road game since 2018. You have to go back to 2016 to find the last time they were favored by that much in an SEC road game.
Those games are memorable to Arkansas football fans for all the wrong reasons.
In 2018, the Razorbacks were a 14-point favorite at Colorado State, but blew an 18-point lead and lost 34-27 — the first sign that Chad Morris probably wasn’t the answer.
In 2016, the Razorbacks were an 8-point favorite at Missouri, but blew a 17-point halftime lead and lost 28-24 — which, looking back, was the beginning of the end of the Bret Bielema era.
However, Arkansas’ struggles as a heavy road favorite extend much further than that. In fact, the last time it covered a 7-point (or more) spread on the road was back in 1999, when it was a 14-point favorite at SMU and crushed the Mustangs 44-17 in the season opener.
In between that game and Saturday’s win, Arkansas was favored by at least a touchdown in 10 true road games and went 0-10 against the spread and just 5-5 straight up. Here’s a rundown of those games:
| Year | Opponent | Spread | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Colorado State | -14 | L, 34-27 |
| 2016 | Missouri | -8 | L, 28-24 |
| 2011 | Vanderbilt | -8 | W, 31-28 |
| 2011 | Ole Miss | -16 | W, 29-24 |
| 2006 | Mississippi State | -15 | W, 28-14 |
| 2004 | Mississippi State | -9.5 | W, 24-21 |
| 2002 | Mississippi State | -12 | W, 26-19 |
| 2001 | LSU | -9.5 | L, 41-38 |
| 1999 | LSU | -11 | L, 35-10 |
| 1999 | Kentucky | -11 | L, 31-20 |
Defense Relies on Turnovers
Saturday’s win over Mississippi State won’t be remembered for the defense’s performance.
The Bulldogs moved the ball pretty well, racking up 471 total yards. That’s the most Arkansas has allowed this season, surpassing the 431 gained by Auburn back on Sept. 21 — another road game the Razorbacks still managed to win.
The common denominator between those two games? Turnovers.
Auburn and Mississippi State each coughed it up five times. The Tigers threw four interceptions (three by Hank Brown, one by Payton Thorne) and lost a fumble, while the Bulldogs were picked off twice and lost three fumbles (including two via strip-sacks).
Sam Pittman admitted the bend-don’t-break nature of his defense, but also praised his kids for how hard they played.
“We had a hard time without the turnovers and we gotta get a lot better,” Pittman said. “I think it’s a lot about leverage. We lost contain, we lost contain on bubbles, and we didn’t tackle well. We got a whole group of defensive guys that want to play a lot better than what we did, but we’ll take those turnovers and look forward to next week.”
The barrage of turnovers started early, too. On just the second play of the game, defensive end Landon Jackson got to quarterback Michael Van Buren for a strip-sack. He also recovered the fumble, setting up Arkansas’ offense in great field position.
“One thing coach has been pressing to me all the way up into this week, I’ve got about seven or eight QB hits this year where the ball’s getting thrown as I’m hitting him,” Jackson said. “He was like, ‘When you get back there, make sure you come through with that outside arm and try getting the ball out instead of trying to get the kill shot.’”
Jackson was also near the quarterback when Jayden Johnson notched his strip sack on Mississippi State’s first drive of the second half. It was recovered by Cam Ball.
The Bulldogs’ other three turnovers came on their final three possessions. It started with a forced fumble at the 1-yard line by Anthony Switzer, which was recovered by Hudson Clark, and then Van Buren was intercepted by Xavian Sorey and Clark.
MSU’s Goal Line Misfortune
The 1-yard line was not kind to Mississippi State.
When Switzer knocked the ball out of Johnnie Daniels’ hands for a fumble near the end zone early in the fourth quarter, it was the third time the Bulldogs got down to the 1, but failed to score a touchdown.
In a welcome twist, the first two instances came in the final five minutes of the second quarter and involved replay reviews that actually went in Arkansas’ favor.
The first instance was on third-and-goal at the 2 when Michael Van Buren hit Seydou Traore in the flats. The tight end was immediately hit by Hudson Clark, but stretched the ball toward the goal line. He thought he was in, but the official spotted him just shy.
The call stood after a review and Mississippi State ultimately came away with no points because Eric Gregory blew up a quarterback keeper by backup Chris Parson on the very next play for a turnover on downs.
Late in the first half, it looked like the Bulldogs were going to cut into Arkansas’ lead when Van Buren once again found Traore, this time on a fade route. The Arkansas State transfer caught the pass and knocked over the pylon, but the official spotted him inside the 1 for a 32-yard gain.
It once again went to replay, but it was decided – again – that there wasn’t conclusive evidence to overturn it for a touchdown. Making matters worse, Traore chunked the ball into the stands in celebration, thinking he had scored, and received an unsportsmanlike penalty. That backed the Bulldogs up to the 16 and Arkansas eventually limited the damage to a field goal.
“There were so many times when that game could have been different, because here they’re scoring, the guy throws it in the stands,” Pittman said. “Now they’re back the 16 and they don’t score. … I thought we kept our composure really well in all those situations.”
Pittman is exactly right. Had those three plays ended in touchdowns instead of a single field goal, it would have completely changed the complexion of the game. It’s unknown if it would have flipped the result, but it almost certainly wouldn’t have been a blowout.
Pittman Calls Off the Hogs
If you read our analytical preview of the Arkansas vs Mississippi State game last week, you knew the Bulldogs were terrible on defense and this was a prime opportunity for Bobby Petrino to remind everyone what he’s capable of.
However, no one could have predicted just how good the Razorbacks were on that side of the ball.
They put up 17 points in the first quarter, which equaled their first-quarter point total of their first four SEC games combined, and never really took their foot off the gas en route to piling up 58 points.
Arkansas finished with 673 yards of offense, which ranks seventh on the school’s single-game list and is the second-most it has ever gained in an SEC game.
That SEC record likely would have fallen if Sam Pittman really wanted it, but instead, the Razorbacks took a knee on the final play of the game. Had the Razorbacks ran the ball and just gained 2 yards, rather than taking a 2-yard loss, they would have finished with 677 yards — one yard more than the 676 they piled up at Ole Miss in 2021.
Interestingly, Arkansas’ top-three SEC yardage totals have occurred in the state of Mississippi:
- 676 at Ole Miss in 2021
- 673 at Mississippi State in 2024
- 661 at Mississippi State in 2016
Through eight games, the Razorbacks are averaging 482.5 yards per game. That ranks seventh nationally this season and is just shy of the school-record 482.54 yards Arkansas averaged in 2010.
It isn’t ranked quite as high in scoring offense, checking in at No. 33 in the FBS at 33.25 points per game, but that would be Arkansas’ best scoring average since putting up 35.9 points per game in 2015.
Petrino Dials Up a Classic
With the Razorbacks facing a fourth-and-1 in the red zone early in the first quarter, Bobby Petrino reached into his bag of tricks for a play many Arkansas football fans will remember.
Lining up in the I-formation with heavy personnel (three tight ends, a fullback and Braylen Russell at running back), Mississippi State sold out to stop the run. However, Taylen Green faked the handoff to Russell and hid the ball behind his back as Luke Hasz snuck out for a wide open touchdown.
If that play design looks familiar, it’s because it was the old “Cowboy Go Get It” play Petrino used a couple of times – against ULM and Georgia – during his stint as head coach.
Big Day for Arkansas Tight Ends
That play was the first of four touchdowns by tight ends Saturday afternoon.
Luke Hasz caught another one with 5:51 remaining to essentially seal the victory and finished the game with four receptions for 59 yards, making it his most productive performance of 2024.
The sophomore from Bixby, Okla., entered the day with only 10 catches for 131 yards, as he battled a back injury for much of the first half of the season.
“I’m just glad to see him catching the ball more,” Pittman said. “It’s not like we didn’t try to throw to him earlier. It’s just now we’re establishing some more weapons.”
Another one of those weapons was surprisingly Andreas Paaske. The Eastern Michigan transfer was brought in for blocking purposes, but he caught three passes for 19 yards and two touchdowns against Mississippi State. Prior to Saturday, the Razorbacks hadn’t even targeted him with a pass and, according to Pro Football Focus, he had been used as a blocker on 40 of his 52 snaps.
“Wasn’t that something?” Pittman said. “I love that kid. He’s such a good kid. He loves the Hogs, I’ll tell you that. And he’s going to get better and better, too.”
Homecoming TD for Anthony
Taylen Green’s other touchdown pass was thrown to another surprising target, as Jordan Anthony reeled in a 27-yard dart early in the second quarter.
Not only was it his first score with the Razorbacks, but it was the redshirt sophomore’s first career touchdown. The former four-star recruit had previously spent one year at both Kentucky and Texas A&M.
Making the moment even more special was the fact that it happened in Anthony’s home state, as he is from Tylertown, Miss.
“He reminded me that right when we were coming off the field, ‘Finally got me one, coach!’” Pittman said. “That’s what he needs because he’s got all the tools. He’s fast, he’s all those things, he needs a little bit of confidence. Hopefully that’ll get him going a little bit more.”
Quiet(er) Day for Armstrong
With some new faces stepping up in the passing game, Andrew Armstrong had a quieter day than usual — but still led the team with 76 yards on four catches.
His biggest play may have come on the Razorbacks’ first drive and didn’t involve a pass, as he made a critical block to spring Taylen Green’s 8-yard touchdown run.
“I think they double-covered Andrew a lot today,” Pittman said. “He had a great attitude about it and did some really good things. At halftime with Andrew, I said, ‘We’re going to get you the ball.’ It wasn’t because he was down. He said, ‘Hey coach, I don’t care. We’re moving it.’”
Despite missing the opener and defenses keying in on him, Armstrong has nearly already surpassed his numbers from last season. In just seven games, he’s caught 49 passes for 722 yards – which rank third and second, respectively, in the SEC this season.
Armstrong is on the brink of becoming just the sixth player in UA history with multiple seasons of 50-plus receptions. He would join Joe Adams, Treylon Burks, Anthony Eubanks, Drew Morgan and D.J. Williams.
Lineup Changes for Arkansas Football
The Razorbacks opened up the battle at left guard this week with Patrick Kutas fully back from a back injury that kept him sidelined the first half of the season and he beat out Keyshawn Blackstock for the starting job.
Blackstock still got some action, playing 16 snaps, but Kutas got the majority of the reps. He also played well, posting a 72.5 Pro Football Focus grade on his 46 snaps. That made him Arkansas’ highest-graded lineman against Mississippi State. For a comparison, Blackstock earned a 60.7 grade.
“I didn’t notice his guy in the backfield,” Pittman said. “I think the bye, the LSU week, and then I think we put him in there when it was about time to do that. I have to watch the tape but when he was pulling he was doing good.”
On the other side of the ball, Hudson Clark made his first start of the season, getting the nod over Jaheim Singletary at cornerback.
It was a full-circle moment for the walk-on, as his first career start was also in Starkville four years ago. Clark made the most of his opportunity, too. He made a tackle at the 1-yard line, recovered a fumble near the goal line and intercepted a pass.
Up Next for Arkansas Football
The Razorbacks return to Razorback Stadium for a three-game homestand beginning next week against No. 19 Ole Miss. With a 26-14 win over Oklahoma on Saturday, the Rebels improved to 6-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play.
It will be a second straight morning start for Arkansas, with kickoff scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
That game will be followed by an open date before back-to-back games against No. 6 Texas (Nov. 16) and Louisiana Tech (Nov. 23). Arkansas ends the regular season at No. 25 Missouri on Nov. 30.
Other Arkansas Football Tidbits
- The Arkansas vs Mississippi State game had an announced attendance of 49,303 at Davis Wade Stadium. However, many of them cleared out long before the clock hit zero, as Sam Pittman joked that only Arkansas fans remained by the end.
- The Razorbacks’ rotating captains for Saturday’s game included a pair of in-state walk-ons in linebacker Brooks Both (Harrison) and tight end Maddox Lassiter (Warren), plus a pair of transfers in wide receiver Tyrone Broden (Bowling Green) and cornerback Marquise Robinson (South Alabama).
- Mississippi State kicker Kyle Ferrie is a Searcy native who went to Harding Academy in high school. He missed a 42-yard field goal Saturday, but did make a 36-yarder. Last season, Ferrie missed a 29-yard kick in Fayetteville, so he’s just 1 for 3 against his home state school compared to 22 for 28 (78.6%) in all other games for the Bulldogs.
- On the flip side, Matthew Shipley was a perfect 3 for 3 for the Razorbacks. He made kicks from 27, 32 and 29 yards, and is now 5 for 6 since taking over for the injured Kyle Ramsey.
- Devin Bale punted just once, but it was a booming 53-yarder. He’s now averaging 48.7 yards this season, but is unlikely to qualify for the NCAA leaderboard or Arkansas record book because he’s punted just 19 times through eight games.
Arkansas vs Mississippi State Highlights
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