Instant Reaction: Mississippi State rallies for first SEC win since 2023

The Bulldogs can celebrate their first conference win in almost two years after a comeback win against Arkansas.

Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Davon Booth (6) celebrates with offensive lineman Jayvin Q. James (77) after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Does Mississippi State have a quarterback controversy despite getting its first SEC win of the season in a comeback 38-35 win against Arkansas?

Blake Shapen was 7-for-15 yards in the first half for 110 yards and a touchdown, but the Bulldogs trailed Arkansas 13-7 at halftime.

On the first play of the second half, Shapen was hit on an incomplete pass and taken off the field to be evaluated by the medical staff.

Freshman quarterback Kamario Taylor came into the game and four plays later threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Evans III to give Mississippi State a 14-13 lead.

No matter what happens afterwards, Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby has to consider making Taylor the full-time starting quarterback. (Writer’s note: This is being written with 2:33 left in the third quarter and Arkansas leading 28-21…and about 20 seconds before Shapen reenters the game and has a deflected pass intercepted.)

What happened after that was wild.

Shapen stayed in the game and had some big completions, including a 33-yard completion to Evans that cut the deficit to seven points.

Arkansas did its best to give the Bulldogs a win. The Razorbacks set a new record for most penalty yards against them with 193 yards, including 15 penalties for 158 yards in the second half.

The most devastating penalty on Arkansas may have been a roughing the kicker penalty on a missed 51-yard field goal. On the ensuing 46-yard penalty, Kyle Ferrie's kick was down the middle.

(Note: The following few paragraphs are being written in real-time as it happens.)

Then, Shapen completed a 32-yard pass to Thompson on fourth down and then had Mississippi State inside the red zone with 57 seconds left in the game.

Facing a third-and-four situation, Shapen's pass was incomplete. On fourth down, he completed the pass to Evans who broke a tackle and scored the game-winning touchdown with 48 seconds left to play.

Now, it's on the Bulldogs' defense and a sack and three incompletions later, the Bulldogs can celebrate a huge victory.

But good luck getting this win to quiet down any talk of a quarterback controversy in Starkville.

Halftime Reaction

(Note: This was written at halftime.)

Oh boy. This isn’t good.

Mississippi State trails by six points at halftime and has about half as many total yards and passing yards as Arkansas, but only 12 rushing yards.

That’s 12 total rushing yards against a defense that ranks 16th in rush defense in the SEC.

So, on one hand, the Bulldogs’ defense is bending more than it’s breaking. On the other hand, the Bulldogs’ offense is hardly forcing the Razorbacks’ defense to bend.

Arkansas doesn’t have to commit much to stopping the run, so it can focus on making sure Brenen Thompson and Anthony Evans III don’t beat its secondary for long touchdowns.

Of course, both receivers have done just that and none of the passes were completed. At least one was a pass that should’ve been intercepted and others were underthrown.

Overall, it was not a good first half for Mississippi State.

Perhaps the only good thing about the first half is that the Bulldogs have the only sack in the first half.