Copyright Arkansas Online
FAYETTEVILLE -- University of Arkansas interim Coach Bobby Petrino and second-year Mississippi State Coach Jeff Lebby don't know each other personally, but their reputations precede both of them. "I don't know him at all," Petrino said Monday. "I don't think I've ever met him." Added Lebby when asked about interactions with Petrino, "No, I do not have a relationship with him personally." But Petrino, 64, said he knows about Lebby's lineage as an offensive lineman at Oklahoma who learned under Art Briles at Baylor, Josh Heupel at Central Florida and Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss before going back to Oklahoma in 2022. "I obviously know of him and know where he's been and where he's coached and the schemes that he grew up in," Petrino said. "So a lot of times you feel like you know guys because you know who they are and know what they do. I'm not sure if I've ever shook his hand and said hello to him." Lebby, 41, got his first offensive coordinator's job at Central Florida in 2019, then moved on to have two seasons with Kiffin at Ole Miss (2020-21) and two at Oklahoma with Brent Venables (2022-23) before landing his first heading coaching job. Lebby said he is also aware of Petrino's long-standing history of tutoring productive offenses. "He has great quarterbacks and has coached them in a great way to give the offense a chance to have great balance, make people play 11 on 11, which makes it really, really tough defensively," Lebby said. The current Razorbacks are seventh in the FBS in total offense with 490.9 yards per game, 26th in scoring (35.5 points per game), 19th in passing (285.9 ypg), 22nd in rushing (205.0 ypg) and fourth in third-down conversion percentage (54%). Common opponents Arkansas and Mississippi State share just two common opponents -- Tennessee and Texas A&M -- through this point of the season, but that number will rise to five by the end of the year. Both teams are 0-2 against Tennessee and Texas A&M, with Arkansas losing to both by three points with a combined scoring margin of 79-73. The Bulldogs fell 41-34 in overtime against Tennessee and lost 31-9 at Texas A&M the following week for a combined margin of 72-43. Mississippi State lost 45-38 in overtime to Texas last week, while the Hogs will face the Longhorns on Nov. 22 in Austin, Texas. Arkansas fell 41-35 at Ole Miss and the Bulldogs will host the Rebels on Nov. 28. Both teams still have an upcoming game against Missouri. One punt The Hogs and Bulldogs combined for one punt in last year's game, a 58-25 Arkansas win in Starkville, Miss. Devin Bale had the lone punt, a 53-yarder for Arkansas on its fifth series after building a 24-7 lead. The Bulldogs had three touchdowns, one field goal, a missed field goal, two series that were lost on downs, three lost fumbles, two interceptions and a one-play series before halftime on their 13 possessions. Arkansas had seven touchdowns, three field goals, one interception, a punt and a five-play series to run out the clock on its 13 drives. Give and take It'll be a battle of givers and takers when Arkansas hosts Mississippi on Saturday. Arkansas leads the SEC with 15 turnovers, three more than the next-highest total (12 by Florida), and has an SEC-worst turnover margin of minus-1.0 per game. Mississippi State is tied with Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas for first in the SEC with 14 takeaways apiece. The Bulldogs have an SEC-high 11 interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Their turnover margin of plus-0.63 per game ranks fourth in the SEC. Series update Arkansas leads the series by a 19-15-1 count, including 10-5-1 in games played in Arkansas, but Mississippi State has been advancing over the past 13 years with an 9-4 mark. The Bulldogs began a four-game winning streak immediately after Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino's departure in 2011, including their first win in Arkansas in 2013 with a 24-17 decision in Little Rock and their first win in Fayetteville (51-50) two seasons later. Mississippi State has won 5 of the past 6 games in Arkansas and is 4-4 in Fayetteville. Arkansas holds a 9-8 advantage in Starkville, Miss., and a 6-1-1 edge in Little Rock. Mississippi State leads 2-0 in Memphis with wins in 1916 (20-7) and 1939 (19-0). The Bulldogs led 4-0-1 before Arkansas got its first win (26-21) in its SEC Western Division title year of 1995 in Little Rock. That touched off a 12-0-1 run for the Razorbacks that ended with a 31-28 loss in Starkville in 2008, Petrino's only setback in the series. Call crew Saturday's SEC Network broadcast team will consist of Taylor Zarzour on play-by-play, national championship winning coach Gene Chizik with analysis and Tori Petry as the sideline reporter. Chizik led Auburn to the 2010 BCS national championship with Cam Newton at quarterback and Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator. Another scorigami Auburn's 33-24 win over the Razorbacks last Saturday was a "scorigami," meaning it was a unique losing outcome in Arkansas football history, according to the X account Razorigami. This marked the fifth scorigami for Arkansas this season, following a 56-14 win over Arkansas State, and losses by the scores of 41-35 to Ole Miss, 56-13 to Notre Dame and 45-42 to Texas A&M. Per the Razorigami account, the Razorbacks have now posted 696 unique scores, and the Hogs are 31-15-3 in games in which they score 24 points and 0-8 in games they allow 33 points. Utah trip Bobby Petrino labeled the offensive output in the 33-24 loss to Auburn last Saturday as disturbing. The Hogs gained a season-low 331 yards. Chuck Barrett asked Petrino on Wednesday's radio show about striking a balance between reviewing the Auburn tape and turning the attention to Mississippi State. Petrino shared a story from his time as a wide receiver and tight ends coach at Weber State from 1987-88. "We were on a bus ride back from Long Beach State to Ogden, Utah," he said. "Two hours in, the bus starts getting a little bit noisier. I guess I must have looked a little agitated or something, because one of our older assistant coaches said, 'Hey, Coach, don't worry about it. It always stays longer with you than it does with the players.' "They have a short-term memory, I think. That's a good thing." Petrino connected the tale to his father's advice. "My dad always told me, 'Man, you should be a basketball coach or a baseball coach, '" Petrino said. "I said, 'Why?' He said, 'You get to play the next day. You don't have to carry that loss for the whole week.' " Weight room Since being named interim coach on Sept. 28, Bobby Petrino has wanted to get running back Braylen Russell more involved in the Arkansas offense. After eight carries in a 34-31 loss at Tennessee on Oct. 11 -- and a brief trip to the medical tent after a fumble -- the sophomore's attempts have only diminished. Still, on Wednesday Petrino complimented the 238-pound running back's transformation in the weight room from a year ago. "We always had this deal, when I was here before, that you tested in everything," said Petrino, who was Arkansas' coach from 2008-11. "When you got your all-time best, you'd get up off the bench and run over and ring a bell. Make sure everybody saw that you did it. It's contagious." He gave an example of past players lifting a higher amount the week before the test, but mysteriously dropping the weight on judgment day. "It's like, 'OK, what's happening there?' " Petrino said. "Who can really compete when the lights are on and the pressure is on? You learn a lot about your players and they learn a lot about themselves and their teammates." Career plans Arkansas cornerback Kani Walker was asked about his career aspirations on air Wednesday and gave a heartfelt answer. Among many goals, he said he wants to help men with their mental health. "I know there's a lot of men in this room, like, behind their eyes, they don't say a lot, but they may have something going on in their heart," Walker said. The Oklahoma transfer also thought about building apartments for "lower-budget" families to target homelessness. Becoming a personal coach for young cornerbacks wasn't out of the conversation, either. Tight end Rohan Jones said he first wanted to be a dentist, then a lawyer, but now sees himself in a mentoring role in sports. The senior mentioned opening a YMCA-type facility where underprivileged kids can play sports.
