Bulldogs face another challenge in Razorbacks' McFadden

JACKSON, Miss. - First came Kenny Irons of Auburn. Then West Virginia&#39;s Steve Slaton. Next, Kenneth Darby of Alabama.<br> <br> The Mississippi State defensive line has faced some of the fleetest runners in the nation this season. Andrew Powell believes they&#39;re about to face ``by far&#39;&#39; the best when No. 5 Arkansas and Darren McFadden come to Starkville on Saturday.<br> <br> ``(He has) all-around ability,&#39;&#39; Powell said. ``He has great speed and then he&#39;s a big and physical back. I&#39;ve seen him take a couple blows to a couple of guys in the secondary and I think he&#39;s a pretty physical back as well as being exceptionally fast.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Bulldogs coach Sylvester Croom believes that his line with three or four players he thinks will line up in the NFL in coming years may be up to the task of slowing McFadden down. Some think that&#39;s impossible, but Croom is an optimist.<br> <br> The Razorbacks (9-1, 6-0 SEC) rush for 240.9 yards per game. The Bulldogs (3-7, 1-5) are holding opponents to less than half of that (119.9 ypg).<br> <br> ``It starts with the front guys, the guys who put their hands on the ground,&#39;&#39; Croom said.<br> <br> ``You&#39;ve got to control the line of scrimmage before you&#39;ve got any chance to stop McFadden. Even if you control the line, that&#39;s no guarantee you&#39;re going to get him down. But you&#39;ve got no chance if you don&#39;t whip that offensive line.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> At times, the Bulldogs defensive front has whipped all comers. At others, they&#39;ve watched as running backs have sprinted past. But the line was dominant against Alabama in a 24-16 upset and the team&#39;s emotional leader, tackle Deljuan Robinson, believes the group is ready to be a consistent force.<br> <br> ``When all four of us are playing up to our potential, we can be a very, very good front,&#39;&#39; Robinson said. ``It&#39;s showed at times this season.<br> <br> ``We dominated Auburn a little in the first half, and last week against Alabama. There are times when we&#39;ve been very dominant up front.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Arkansas coach Houston Nutt sees the potential for problems from Robinson and his pals Saturday.<br> <br> ``It seems like they always get to the quarterback on every film you watch,&#39;&#39; Nutt said. They&#39;re good playmakers. They twist and turn. They&#39;re quick. They create a lot of problems for people.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Robinson a sure thing in April&#39;s NFL Draft is the biggest troublemaker, but other members of the line have lifted their level of play to match his.<br> <br> End Titus Brown offers the most eye-catching progress. Brown started at linebacker as a freshman, then struggled after being switched to end last year. But he has found a home on the edge and has seven sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss.<br> <br> ``He hasn&#39;t scratched the surface of what he can do, but he gives us a bonafide pass rusher there,&#39;&#39; Croom said. ``He&#39;s a guy who hopefully in these next two ballgames and even in the offseason and next year really develops into one of the best pass rushers in the conference.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Croom also thinks Antonio Johnson, who is the third man in the Mississippi&#39;s rotation at tackle, has a future playing on Sundays. He&#39;s been invited to the Senior Bowl and has a chance to improve his prospects against the Razorbacks.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s got to really play well to get his stock up there,&#39;&#39; Croom said. ``I think he&#39;s impressed a lot of people but these last two ballgames are going to carry a lot of weight in that.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The Bulldogs&#39; defensive front, which also includes end Michael Heard, is a tight group. Robinson said they get together to play dominoes, cards and PlayStation every day.<br> <br> ``We like to laugh and have fun and like to joke,&#39;&#39; Robinson said.<br> <br> It&#39;s a laid-back crew, until Saturdays. There will be no fun and games as the Bulldogs try to catch up with McFadden, who has rushed for 1,219 yards and a 6.2 yards per carry average.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s a special kid,&#39;&#39; Robinson said. ``He&#39;s very good but we try not to look at the name of who we&#39;re playing. Everybody&#39;s special in the SEC.&#39;&#39;