Another trip to Fayetteville = another nightmare for the Big Orange.
It apparently doesn’t matter how good either of the teams are. Whenever the Tennessee Volunteers go out to Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks, it’s never a smooth trip for the Big Orange.
Add another entry into that ugly history on Saturday night.
Arkansas’ Malachi Singleton scored from 11 yards out with 1:17 remaining, and Arkansas upset #4 Tennessee 19-14 at Razorback Stadium. Nico Iamaleava got the Vols down inside the 20 with 6 seconds left, but on the game’s final play, he inexplicably ran out of bounds instead of at least trying a throw into the end zone.
It was a lifeless, flat performance from the Vols from the start. Tennessee’s offensive line was terrible, ceding pressure time and again as the Razorbacks’ secondary stuck to Tennessee’s receivers like glue. Nico Iamaleava took 3 sacks and was pressured many times more. The Vols finished the first half with 76 yards of total offense, the fewest in the Josh Heupel era, as Arkansas led 3-0 at the break.
The Vols broke through in the third quarter with two touchdown drives, including their first one out of the locker room. Dylan Sampson finally sparked Tennessee’s offense with a 53-yard run down inside the 5-yard line, punching it in later to give Tennessee the lead. Sampson pushed that lead to 14-3 on the very next drive on a 4-yard touchdown, and Vol fans seemed to be able to exhale.
Except that’s all the offense would muster for the game. Meanwhile, Arkansas would slowly creep back in the game. A Ja’Quinden Jackson touchdown brought the Hogs to within 14-10. A lower body injury to Arkansas QB Taylen Green appeared to derail the Arkansas offense at 14-13, and Tennessee had the ball with under 4 minutes to go and a chance to run out the clock.
Unfortunately for Tennessee fans, they couldn’t, and they went three and out to give the ball back to Arkansas with great field position at their own 41. A 13-yard pass and 24-yard run put Arkansas well in field goal range, and the Hogs kept pounding their way inside the red zone against the Vols’ suddenly vulnerable defense.
Instead of letting Arkansas run the clock out and kick a field goal, the Vols let Arkansas score with 1:17 left. Iamaleava connected with Donte Thornton for a 42-yard gain to give themselves a chance, but the flicker of hope died out with Iamaleava’s scramble out of bounds.
Iamaleava had his worst game by far, completing 17 of 29 passes for just 158 yards. Sampson paced the Vols on the ground with 138 yards and 2 touchdowns on 22 carries.
Next up for the Vols is Florida next weekend in Knoxville.