10 Things to Know - Mississippi State

The Arkansas Razorbacks return to Fayetteville for the first of back-to-back home games, starting with Mississippi State on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 3 p.m. at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network and can be streamed on the ESPN app. Here are 10 things to know before kickoff on Saturday.

1. HogTown is back! HogTown, the all-new pregame destination for Razorback fans of all ages, is located on Maple Street just north of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, between Razorback Road and Stadium Drive. This free event will begin four hours prior to Saturday’s game versus Mississippi State and concludes 30 minutes prior to kick-off to allow fans time to enter the stadium to enjoy the ‘Best in Sight and Sound’ Marching Band pregame performance. The Rosy Hips, a Retro Rock n’ Soul band with a modern Indie Pop flair, will perform live on iHeartRadio Music stage starting at noon.
2. It’s Homecoming! Arkansas is 62-31-4 all-time on homecoming, dating back to the first game on Nov. 18, 1922 (W vs. SMU – 9-0). The Razorbacks have won each of their last five homecoming games, outscoring opponents 204-113, including a 23-0 victory over Tulsa last season.
3. Saturday will be the 30th meeting between Arkansas and Mississippi State and the first on homecoming. The Razorbacks lead the series against Mississippi State, 16-12-1, holding a 3-2 edge in games played in Fayetteville. Arkansas’ last win vs. the Bulldogs in Fayetteville came in 2003 in a 52-6 victory.
4. Every year on homecoming, the Razorbacks honor a player with the Crip Hall Homecoming Performance by a Senior Award. The award is voted on by the media covering the game and is presented to the senior student-athlete who turned in the top performance of the game. It has been recognized every year since 1950 and is named after C.G. “Crip” Hall, who was the Arkansas Secretary of State from 1937-1961 and was instrumental in the construction of War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Last year’s honoree was defensive lineman Armon Watts against Tulsa after putting up four tackles, including a sack for eight yards and a forced fumble. Eighteen seniors have seen playing time this season, while five seniors started Saturday’s game at Alabama.
5. Redshirt-freshman quarterback John Stephen Jones saw extended playing time on Saturday at Alabama, appearing in a series of packages in the first half before playing the entire second half in Tuscaloosa. The Dallas, Texas, native went 6-of-7 passing for 49 yards and a touchdown, while running the ball six times for 14 yards. He connected with C.J. O’Grady on an eight-yard pass for Arkansas’ lone score of the night, helping O’Grady break the school record for touchdowns by a tight end. John Stephen is a third-generation Razorback, as his father, Stephen, was a four-year letterwinning linebacker at Arkansas, while his grandfather, Jerry, was a three-year offensive lineman and captain of the 1964 national title team at Arkansas.
6. Arkansas has stayed disciplined on the field on this season, ranking first in the SEC and 31st overall in fewest penalties (42) and fewest penalty yards (357) in 2019. The Razorbacks were not penalized at all on Saturday at Alabama, making it the first time since at least Sept. 6, 1997, Arkansas has not committed a penalty in a game.
7. For the second time this season, sophomore safety Joe Foucha recorded a career-high in total tackles, this time tallying 13 at Alabama. It was the second time in three games he’s reached double-digit stops, with 11 at Kentucky on Oct. 12. Against Auburn, the New Orleans native notched his first tackle for loss of his career, bringing down the Tiger rushing for a loss of two yards on a fourth down play. He ranks third on the team in total tackles this season with 56 stops, along with an interception against Portland State on Aug. 31 and a fumble recovery at Ole Miss on Sept. 7 to go with it.
8. Senior defensive tackle McTelvin “Sosa” Agim has picked up tackles for loss in each of the last four games, bringing him to 30.5 as a Razorback after adding another against Alabama on Saturday. Before the game against the Crimson Tide, Agim had recorded sacks in three consecutive games, totaling 14.5 over his career. He inches closer every week to writing his name in the Arkansas record books, needing two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss for 10th on the career lists by Razorbacks. His 7.5 tackles for loss this year is tied for sixth in the SEC.
9. Over the last two seasons, senior linebacker De’Jon Harris has recorded 100+ tackles, ranking him among the top in the conference among active defenders in total tackles. Through eight games this season, Harris leads the team and sits in fourth in the conference in stops with 63, adding nine last Saturday against Alabama. He’s had three double-digit tackle games this year and 18 in his collegiate career. Averaging 7.88 tackles per game, he’s on-pace to come just shy of three-straight years with 100 or more stops; however, Harris has nine or more tackles in each of the last three games, putting him in better position to pass the 100-tackle threshold by season’s end. He is more than just a strong tackler though, as Harris was involved in fumble plays in each of the three games leading up to the game against the Crimson Tide, recovering the loose ball against Texas A&M (returned eight yards for a touchdown) and falling on another at Kentucky, while jarring one loose against Auburn. Harris is tied for first in the conference with two fumble recoveries this season and tied for eighth in the NCAA.
10. Junior running back Rakeem Boyd continues to make highlight reel plays week after week, from hurdling oncoming defenders to breaking off huge plays for the Razorback offense. Although it wasn’t 100 rushing yards, Boyd did produce his fourth 100-yard game of the year at Alabama, this time splitting his production almost evenly via the ground game and through the air. He rushed for 50 yards on 12 carries, while hauling in four passes for 55 yards, a career-best, on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. He leads the team this year with 837 all-purpose yards, averaging 104.6 per game. In Lexington, Boyd took the second play of the game 74 yards to the house for a touchdown. He finished the night with 134 rushing yards, his most while wearing an Arkansas uniform, and two touchdowns, scoring again in the fourth quarter to give the Hogs the lead. It was his third game this season with 100+ rushing yards and sixth overall as a Razorback, also doing so against Colorado State (122) and Portland State (114). He is one of 20 Arkansas running backs all-time to record six 100+ yard rushing performances while playing for the school.