Arkansas put together a game-winning drive without its starting quarterback and running back.
The Razorbacks upset No. 4 Tennessee 19-14 thanks to an 11-yard touchdown from QB Malachi Singleton with 1:17 remaining. As Arkansas ran out the clock to score as late as possible, Tennessee appeared to allow Singleton to run into the end zone.
Singleton’s run came after Braylen Russell led the Razorbacks on the ground. Russell started for RB Ja’Quinden Jackson, who left the game in the second half. Singleton, Arkansas’ backup QB, played after starting QB. Taylen Green was forced to leave the game in the second half after appearing to suffer a knee injury when he was hit low while completing a pass.
Tennessee had plenty of time for a game-winning TD after Singleton scored and reached the Arkansas 25-yard line on a deep pass. But Tennessee didn’t get much further. Nico Iamaleava was pushed from the pocket on fourth down and went out of bounds as time expired after crossing the line of scrimmage.
Arkansas keeps Tennessee in check
Tennessee came into the game averaging over 565 yards of offense per game. The Volunteers did not come near that on Saturday evening.
Arkansas’ defense played its best game of the season as the Vols had just 332 yards of total offense. UT didn’t score at all in the first half and the only two scores came on TD runs by Dylan Sampson.
Iamaleava had his worst game of the season and his Heisman candidacy took a huge hit. The redshirt freshman was 17 of 29 passing for 158 yards. He averaged barely more yards per pass (5.4) than Tennessee averaged per carry as a team (4.8).
Razorbacks didn’t turn the ball over
Arkansas was plagued by turnovers through the first five games of the season. Turnovers played a key role in both of the Razorbacks’ losses to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. Saturday night, Arkansas didn’t turn the ball over at all.
Coach Sam Pittman said after the game that he knew his team could hang with the Volunteers if it didn’t turn the ball over. Green was 19 of 27 passing for 266 yards before leaving the game. Jackson had 20 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown, while Russell was fantastic in relief. The 253-pound freshman had eight carries for 62 yards after entering the game with 16 carries for 62 yards in Arkansas’ first four games of the season.
The SEC is a gauntlet
Texas was off in Week 6 and is now the only undefeated team in the conference after the Volunteers’ loss to the Razorbacks, No. 1 Alabama’s loss to Vanderbilt and No. 9 Missouri’s loss at Texas A&M.
Only three teams are also undefeated in conference play. A&M sits atop the conference at 3-0, while Texas and LSU are each 1-0. All others have at least one loss, while four teams have two or more losses. The expanded SEC is the nation’s toughest conference from top to bottom, and it’s hard to imagine any of the three teams making it through the entire season unscathed without a loss.
