Running back Peyton Lewis put the Volunteers (5-1, 2-1 SEC) up 34-17 with 13:14 remaining in the game on the second of his two rushing touchdowns on the evening. Arkansas (2-4, 0-2 SEC), though, found the end zone on pass plays twice in the final stanza before the Big Orange ran out the final two minutes and 55 seconds on the clock by converting a pair of first downs.
UT was balanced in rolling up 485 yards of total offense, rushing for 264 and passing for 221. Its defense, meanwhile, forced four fumbles and recovered three, with safety Edrees Farooq, defensive tackle Daevin Hobbs and LEOs Joshua Josephs and Jordan Ross all credited with knocking the ball loose. The Vols also pressured UA all night, recording nine tackles for losses, six quarterback hurries and five sacks.
The Razorbacks won the coin toss and quickly grabbed a 7-0 lead, as quarterback Taylen Green scored on an 11-yard keeper on the game’s ninth play. The Vols needed only seven snaps to even things up, with running back DeSean Bishop scampering 17 yards to the end zone with 7:39 left in the opening stanza. Arkansas countered with a 28-yard Scott Starzyk field goal with 20 seconds remaining and clutched a 10-7 advantage after one.
Tennessee struck first in the second period, knotting the game at 10 on a 37-yard Max Gilbert field goal, but the Hogs responded with a one-yard Mike Washington Jr. plunge to move back in front, 17-10, with 4:36 left in the frame. Less than two minutes later, the Vols delivered an equalizer. After getting a 42-yard pass play from quarterback Joey Aguilar to wide receiver Braylon Staley to move to the Arkansas 29, UT scored the final points of the half two plays later. An eight-yard toss from Aguilar to tight end Miles Kitselman made it 17-all with 2:52 left on the clock.
The Big Orange seized its first lead of the contest, 20-17, on the opening drive of the second half on a 50-yard kick by Gilbert. The Tennessee defense, meanwhile, raised its intensity, holding UA scoreless on its three full possessions in the third quarter. The Vol offense reciprocated, hitting its stride and marching 74 yards on six plays to build its lead to 27-17 on a two-yard rumble up the middle by Lewis.
The Big Orange defense continued to enforce its will in the fourth, with Josephs pressuring and forcing Green to fumble into the awaiting hands of rookie linebacker Jadon Perlotte at the Razorbacks’ 19-yard line. Four plays later, Lewis ran right and bulldozed his way into the checkerboard to make it 34-17 with 13:15 remaining.
UA ended UT’s run of 24 straight points and trimmed the deficit to 10, 34-24, with 8:17 left in the final frame, as tight end Rohan Jones hauled in a nine-yard scoring pass from Green. The Hogs forced the Vols to punt and found the end zone again on a TD pass from Green to wide receiver Kam Shanks to cut the gap to three, 34-31, with 2:55 to go.
After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, Aguilar and the Vols set up shop on their own 25 with just under three minutes remaining. A 28-yard keeper by the Tennessee signal-caller propelled his team to the Arkansas 47 and gave the Big Orange some breathing room. Three plays later, a seven-yard carry by Lewis earned UT another first down, and Aguilar and company were able to close out the win with a pair of kneel-downs.
Offensively, the home team was paced by 14 carries and a score from Bishop with a career-high 146 yards, six catches for a career-best 109 yards from Staley and a 16-for-25 night with 221 yards and a TD from Aguilar.
The defensive side was led in tackles by safety Andre Turrentine, who tied his career high with 11. Farooq was in on a career-best nine stops with a fumble forced, while linebacker Arion Carter added eight tackles and a fumble recovery. Ross led UT’s pressure effort, tallying 1.5 sacks in addition to his forced fumble and fumble recovery. Defensive end Tyre West and Hobbs, playing his first game of the season, each had sacks, with Hobbs also adding a fumble forced along with Josephs.
UP NEXT
The Vols hit the road next weekend to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where they will face off with the Crimson Tide in the traditional “Third Saturday in October” contest at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be televised by ABC.
