Arkansas and Mississippi St., each out for 1st SEC win, set to clash

Field Level Media|published: Tue 28th October, 19:23 2025

Oct 18, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks interim head coach Bobby Petrino during the second quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The last time Arkansas won a Southeastern Conference game was last season when the Razorbacks defeated Mississippi State.

The last time Mississippi State won an SEC game was two seasons ago when the Bulldogs defeated Arkansas.

One of the teams will end its league losing streak when the Razorbacks (2-6, 0-4 SEC), who have lost six straight overall, and the Bulldogs (4-4, 0-4), who have lost four in a row overall, meet again Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.

Both teams were in good position to win last week before faltering.

Arkansas had an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter before turning the ball over on each of its last four possessions to lose to visiting Auburn 33-24 and fall to 0-3 under interim head coach Bobby Petrino.

"We've got to get all three phases to work together in order to get a win," Petrino said.

The Razorbacks have lost seven consecutive SEC games since defeating the host Bulldogs 58-25 last October under former head coach Sam Pittman, who was fired on Sept. 28.

"I've been impressed with our attitude," Petrino said. "I've been impressed with the leadership within the team, and guys wanting to step up and get more work, get more reps. ... Obviously, it's stress. There's no question about that. But I do feel like they've reacted to it pretty well."

Mississippi State also had a different head coach the last time it won an SEC game. Zach Arnett was at the helm when the Bulldogs won at Arkansas 7-3 on Oct. 21, 2023. The team is 0-12 in SEC games under second-year head coach Jeff Lebby.

This team had a 31-14 lead over visiting Texas entering the fourth quarter last Saturday but lost 45-38 in overtime.

"Kids are resilient, man. ... We've got a pissed-off football team," Lebby said. "It's not a team that's hanging its head, not a team that's feeling sorry for themselves. A football team that is ready to go prove that we're a good football team. That's my charge, because we have a good football team and we have a tough football team."

--Field Level Media

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