FACTS & STATS: Site: Scott Field (52,884) -- Starkville, Mississippi. Television: Local. Home Record: Arkansas 2-3, MSU 3-2. Away Record: Arkansas 1-3, MSU 0-5. Neutral Record: Arkansas 1-0, MSU 0-0. Conference Record: Arkansas 1-5, MSU 1-5. Series Record: Arkansas leads, 12-5-1.

GAME NOTES: SEC foes will collide in Starkville this weekend, as the Mississippi State Bulldogs play host to the Arkansas Razorbacks. This season has not gone nearly as well as expected for Arkansas first-year head coach Bobby Petrino, as his squad is just 1-5 in league play and 4-6 overall. The Razorbacks have been idle since November 8th when they dropped a 34-21 decision to South Carolina on the road. With a one-point loss to Kentucky and a two-point setback to Ole Miss, Arkansas proved that it can hang with its conference opponents, but the team simply has not gotten the job done in close games. As for Mississippi State, it played a solid first half against top- ranked Alabama last weekend, but special teams miscues led to a 32-7 defeat. The Bulldogs, like the Razorbacks, are just 1-5 in league play, and they have suffered two losses by a single point to SEC opponents. Arkansas owns a 12-5-1 series lead over Mississippi State, which includes a 45-31 victory in last year's meeting.

In the loss to South Carolina last time out, Arkansas saw its top tailback and quarterback forced from the contest with injury. Casey Dick, the team's signal caller, suffered a concussion in that tilt, and it remains to be seen if he will be able to play this weekend. The same can be said of Michael Smith, the club's top runner, who is dealing with a shoulder injury. In the game against the Gamecocks, Arkansas was only able to run for 54 yards on 31 attempts. Dick did complete 16-of-26 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns, but he was intercepted three times before heading to the sidelines. Overall this season, Arkansas is averaging 20.4 ppg and 363.7 total ypg, modest numbers for a team with mediocre offensive weapons. Dick has completed 57 percent of his passes for 2,389 yards with 11 touchdowns, but he has thrown 14 interceptions. As for Smith, he has rushed for 1,012 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 5.2 ypc. Clearly, both players will be sorely missed if they are not physically able to perform this weekend, and their status should be monitored up until kickoff.

Opponents are scoring 31.3 ppg against Arkansas, an average that helps explain the poor record through 10 outings. The Razorbacks are giving up 4.4 yards per rushing attempt, so there is obviously room for improvement in that aspect of the game. The pass defense hasn't been any better, as foes are averaging 13.7 yards per completion. Arkansas has allowed 35 touchdowns to opposing offenses thus far, with 18 of those coming through the air. With 15 takeaways and 18 sacks, there have not been an abundance of big plays made by the Razorbacks. They are permitting opponents to make good on 42 percent of their third down conversion attempts, an average that is simply too high. Jerry Franklin leads Arkansas with 76 total tackles, and Malcolm Sheppard is tops with 10 TFLs. South Carolina was able to score two passing touchdowns and two rushing scorers against the Razorbacks last time out, and Arkansas permitted 16.8 yards per pass completion.

Mississippi State is one of the weakest offensive teams in the nation, as the team is averaging a lowly 15.2 ppg on 283.0 ypg of total offense. The Bulldogs have only rushed for 104.5 ypg on 3.1 ypc, and they have more interceptions (10) than passing touchdowns (eight). Anthony Dixon leads the team in rushing with 673 yards and six scores, but his 4.1 ypc average is mediocre. Tyson Lee, an undersized walk-on, is the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs, and he has completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 1,251 yards and five touchdowns against four interceptions. The top receiver on the outside is Brandon McRae, and he has caught 45 passes for 449 yards and three scores. Against Alabama, MSU managed only nine first downs and 167 total yards, including 35 rushing yards on 22 attempts. Lee completed only 11-of-28 passes for 132 yards and was sacked twice, but he did throw a touchdown pass and was not intercepted.

Opponents are scoring 22.3 ppg against Mississippi State, which is yielding 302.7 total ypg. The defense has allowed 22 touchdowns to opposing offenses, 16 of which have been rushing scores. Dominic Douglas has been the most active player for the defense, as he has made 84 total tackles. K.J. Wright has posted 55 stops, including 6.5 TFLs. Looking at the score of last weekend's game against Alabama, some may assume that the Bulldogs' defense played poorly. However, a closer look speaks to the contrary. Alabama scored on an 80-yard punt return and was forced to settle for three field goals. Of the two offensive touchdowns scored by the Crimson Tide, one came on a two-play, two- yard drive. Sure, Mississippi State failed to register a single takeaway, but the overall effort of the defense was strong.

Give an edge to the home team in this matchup, as Mississippi State will find a way to slip past the Razorbacks. Clearly, these are two of the worst teams in the SEC but they should battle each other tough.